Review by Felix on June 16, 2025.

For more than two centuries, the Riesengebirge belonged to Prussia and to Germany. Today it is part of Poland and, to a lesser extent, of Czechia. Maybe this is the reason why the Polish newcomers Brzask (which means daybreak) chose a German title for their debut "Der Wanderer Im Riesengebirge". However, they also already used the Polish name of this region for their single "In The Forest Of Karkonosze". But no matter which language they prefer, one thing is for sure, the Silesian four-piece is a good promoter of its local mountains. The guys deliver 39 minutes of solid to good music, no stinker must be endured.

Brzask cruise between death and black metal. Everything is done with the sledgehammer rather than a finer tool. Melodic fragments appear from time to time, but there are no enchanting harmonies that we know from the bands that have cultivated a spooky elegance. Blast beats and further violent drumming scream for a pretty harsh appearance and the throaty black metal vocals point into the same direction. A few parts crush the maelstrom of terror and speak a softer language, but they do not imprint their mark on the album. Brzask split skulls violently and their songs are well arranged. There is only one thing I have to criticise. It takes time until the neither progressive nor experimental but somewhat bulky songs keep sticking in the ear, at least to a certain extent. Complexity is not always an advantage and maybe the guys should concentrate on less bombastic patterns. Nevertheless, in particular "The Herbalist" and the title track lend the album a strong and pleasant flavour.

Another little weakness of the debut is that atmospheric parts remain rare. The intro of "The Herbalist" puts the focus on mood, but generally speaking, the lack of mystic atmosphere is regrettable. I thought that they give the music an appearance that goes hand in hand with the legends and sagas of the sung region. Okay, the English / Polish / Latin / German lyrics deal with regional topics and Rübezahl, the mountain ghost of the Riesengebirge, shows up. But the pretty devastating death metal ingredients do not allow him to spread his fabulous aura. At least he has found his place on the stylish artwork of this densely produced full-length. Do not expect an overdose of nuances, the mix hammers on you as a whole. Sometimes it sounds as if the powerful drums are driving the rest of the gang forward, but fortunately the production doesn't reveal any gross imbalance. To summarize, it can be said that Brzask have released an interesting debut with an individual, but never senselessly exotic approach. Naturally there is room for optimization, but this was just their first full statement. I am curious to see which actions this metallic Rübezahl will take next.

Rating: 7.1 out of 10