BRAINMAZE
When Your Demons Come
After more than a decade in the making, When Your Demons Come, the first full-length album from BRAINMAZE, is finally out in the world. This is more than just a metal record. It’s the end result of years spent chasing an idea, one riff and one late-night session at a time.
BRAINMAZE is the solo project of Bulgarian artist Ivan Shishkov, a musician, photographer, and storyteller based in Plovdiv. The songs were first born from his bass guitar, his constant companion through long creative stretches when the rest of the world had gone quiet. Many of the tracks began as loose sketches, some written after midnight, shaped slowly across the years until they grew into the intense, finished versions heard on the album today.
BRAINMAZE is the solo project of Bulgarian artist Ivan Shishkov, a musician, photographer, and storyteller based in Plovdiv. The songs were first born from his bass guitar, his constant companion through long creative stretches when the rest of the world had gone quiet. Many of the tracks began as loose sketches, some written after midnight, shaped slowly across the years until they grew into the intense, finished versions heard on the album today.
Each song reflects a battle. Not a theatrical one, but the kind we all face, fear, frustration, the weight of solitude. The title, When Your Demons Come, points to those moments when you’re left with no distractions, no noise, just your own thoughts staring back. Rather than run from them, this album walks straight into the fire.
Although the vision and direction were entirely Ivan’s, he brought in a group of outstanding musicians from around the globe to help bring it to life. Vocals were handled by Rob Davies from the UK, guitars by Ramon Martinez and German Maldonado from Latin America, with drums and production contributions from collaborators across Ecuador, Ukraine, and the U.S. What began as isolated files shared across continents eventually became a complete, unified body of work.
Ivan handled the lyrics, arrangements, photography, and design himself. Every part of the album reflects the emotional weight he’s been carrying for years. And now, it’s all out in the open, loud, sharp, and honest.
When Your Demons Come is now streaming on major platforms. It’s not a comeback. It’s not a beginning. It’s what happens when you hold on to something long enough to see it through.
Although the vision and direction were entirely Ivan’s, he brought in a group of outstanding musicians from around the globe to help bring it to life. Vocals were handled by Rob Davies from the UK, guitars by Ramon Martinez and German Maldonado from Latin America, with drums and production contributions from collaborators across Ecuador, Ukraine, and the U.S. What began as isolated files shared across continents eventually became a complete, unified body of work.
Ivan handled the lyrics, arrangements, photography, and design himself. Every part of the album reflects the emotional weight he’s been carrying for years. And now, it’s all out in the open, loud, sharp, and honest.
When Your Demons Come is now streaming on major platforms. It’s not a comeback. It’s not a beginning. It’s what happens when you hold on to something long enough to see it through.