Review by SzejkElRopa on February 10, 2026.

After reviewing "Der Wanderer Im Riesengebirge", I decided to take a brief look at other Brzask releases. It was out of sheer curiosity, without any intention to listen. However, when I saw the cover of the self-titled demo, I had to listen to it. Why? Because this year I was at the top of Śnieżka – the mountain shown on the cover.

Contrary to "Der Wanderer...", the demo has fewer death metal elements and is more atmosphere-driven. For example, the track "Brzask III" features an atmospheric break, during which the bass guitar and keyboards are audible. Brzask also shows here its death metal side – the vocalist does deep growls which would fit in any death metal album without a problem. This can be heard especially in "Brzask II". The riffs aren't as brutal as in the later-released full-length, but they aren't by any means soft. "Brzask II" and "Brzask III" at times go heavier, but this heaviness doesn't dominate the album. Also, the drums are less aggressive, but this demo still keeps a fast pace. To compare, this demo has a lot more mountain spirit than "Der Wanderer...", but the execution of the instrumental side is slightly weaker for me due to its short length and, as a result, the lack of more memorable moments.

The vocalist does a good job; he harshly screams and growls most of the time, and he also howls in "Brzask III". Compared to the vocalist's performance in "Der Wanderer...", it is a little bit worse, but that's just a demo, and it's hard to show everything in just 16 minutes. The riffs aren't repetitive, and when the album becomes more melodic, the melodies are well-crafted and memorable. My personal favorite was in "Brzask III". The riffs range from very heavy in "Brzask II" to tremolo at the end of "Brzask I". The drums drive the album well. When it comes to the production, there are no problems with hearing everything in this demo, even the bass guitar. If this material were longer, it could easily be an EP/full-length without anyone criticizing the production.

I give this demo 86%, because despite its better execution of atmosphere compared to the full-length, it doesn't have as many memorable moments as the later release. However, because this demo received more critical acclaim than "Der Wanderer...", I might be in the minority of listeners, and your opinion might be different from mine. I recommend this demo to people who like atmospheric black metal with some heaviness and fast-paced moments.

Rating: 8.6 out of 10