Among our humanity, the grip of feeling “Uncertainty” must be one of the most stranglehold emotions on the soul. The chaotic energy that surrounds makes the fifth cut of his concept album “WHEN YOUR DEMONS COME,” and Bulgarian musician and visionary Ivan Shishkov, BRAINMAZE solo metal project mastermind, turns it this time into an unstoppable auditory storm.
“Uncertainty” is a punch of heavy atmosphere and a claustrophobic dive into the fear of not knowing what to make of the times to come, wrapped in thundering, accurate instrumentation. The track continues the album’s theme, in which each of the ten songs is essentially a manifestation of one of ten “evil demons,” each derived from its respective emotion. The “demon” here is that gnawing doubt, the restlessness reflected through a clouded mind which misrepresents reality.
Ivan shows his strong personal tie to the project. Behind all aspects from music and lyrics to photography, design, and project management, he crafted “WHEN YOUR DEMONS COME” not merely as an album, but a statement of the most personal kind. The year-long process has one man working through the night, weaving a global gathering of metal collaborators. Rob Davies’ (UK) haunting vocals, Ramon Martinez’s (Venezuela) razor-edged rhythm and lead guitars, along with German Maldonado’s (Argentina) searing solos, shape “Uncertainty” into a space where technical prowess meets raw emotion. Joining them are Fabian Carrion Troya (Ecuador) on midi drums and David Mendez on acoustic drums, along with the magical electric and mastering engineering touch of Ilarion Ivanenko.
“Uncertainty” shines, jumping in the blink of an eye between slamming riffs and expansive, almost miasmic walls of sound. Each section of the track pulses with tension, each feeling increasingly like a footstep further down into the gray matter fog, where only distant clarity whispers. That’s not musical violence for the sake of releasing aggression, it’s mining mood and feel, diving deep into the emotional power of doubt.
In “Uncertainty,” BRAINMAZE reconfirms that metal can be as emotionally introspective as it is sonically brutal. It is a maelstrom in and of itself, but also an essential passage through the dark waters that lie ahead for any listener ready to confront their own ghosts. While it is not for the faint of heart, the conceptual metal album BRAINMAZE, unveiled with timeless hallmark, is a ride through personal highs and lows in life itself.
