Review: “And Let Them Burn (Demo)” by Shargaas

A major port on the Volga River and home to over a million people, Saratov in Russia is home to Wa’arth, the mastermind behind Black Death Metal project Shargaas. It is written upon ancient scrolls that having spent a long tome experimenting with Black Metal styles Wa’arth began to forge his own sonic creations by blending Extreme Death Metal sounds with the aggression of Black Metal. Citing influences in Marduk and Mayhem on one side of the equation and Morbid Angel and Belphegor on the other, Wa’arth, searches for a balance between the oppressive atmospheres, heavy riffs and ominous sounds laced with anti-religious rhetoric and thoughts of violence…

While this first warning shot from Shargaas is labelled as a demo, perhaps with the idea of perusing additional members for live performances at a later date, it is far from the raw sound which that word implies. Considering these songs were all recorded in a home studio they sound very listenable and while there are a few rough edges, they could easily be fixed with the experience gained from creating this record.

Opening cut and title track “And Let Them Burn” has at its heart a classic Black Metal drum pattern and with a couple of flat cymbal hits they could be from a drum machine. However if that is the case, it’s not an issue, its a means to an ends because there is plenty of quality elsewhere from Black Metal riffing over blast beats to ripping Death Metal riffs during the verses. The vocals are nothing short of demonic, Wa’arth even taking the time to add a backing vocal layer to them with a shriller voice for contrast. The warped solo is unhinged, something which bleeds into the main riffs of “Filth Is Everywhere“, a track cut from the same cloth that continues the vicious tirade with dark energy and malicious intent. As intense as a towering inferno, the riffs keep coming in waves with obvious influences adding to the charm while the sentiment of the lyrics isn’t lost despite the cavernous growls that make up the vocal performance.

A sinister introduction eases in “No Mercy” which rapidly turns into a percussive pummelling after twenty seconds or so with double kicks obliterating the bass drum. The throat splitting vocals are accompanied by a sampled scream but its the warped sounding riffs which steal the day. They offer a nostalgic throwback to tape trading days of the 80’s where everyone had cassette in their battle jacket, something which also plays into that low budget horror movie aesthetic of this one. “Revival” is all about speed and aggression, the savage vocals reaching new levels of depravity as some Death Thrash riffs rise to the surface, the blistering solo from calloused hands fuel for the fire before the final guttural roar. This demo has a lot of promise about it and so its going to be intriguing to hear what Shargaas do next [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. And Let Them Burn
2. Filth Is Everywhere
3. No Mercy
4. Revival

“And Let Them Burn (Demo)” by Shargaas is out 25th September 2026 and is available over at bandcamp