Sijjin‘s horror comes back to life.
Still signed to Sepulchral Voice Records, Malte Gericke (bass/vocals, ex-Necros Christos), Iván Hernández (drums, Extinction, ex-Necros Christos) and Ekaitz Garmendia (guitar, Legen Beltza, Extinction) unveil Helljjin Combat, their second album, in 2025.
We kick off with the ominous sound of Fear Not The Tormentor, a composition that starts off slowly enough, then reveals darker shades, then finally much brighter ones in a purely Death/Thrash sound. The arrival of vocal parts gives the slightly Prog-oriented patterns a rawer touch, but its eight minutes also allow for a piercing solo before the final, then Dakhma Curse takes over with a still aggressive sound that remains in heavy Old School tones. The jerky rhythms and scathing harmonics are bound to have you shaking your skull in a frenzy, just like Trance Of The Mummified, which started out with a rather distinctly occult sound. There are still some less savage passages where the trio take the time to detail their solid riffs, then Death Opens The Grave offers a quasi-military march to lead us to its explosive rhythm filled with razor-sharp lead tones. The rhythmic pattern speeds along with a catchy sound towards the mysterious Religious Insanity Denies Slavery, where we have the tones worked into the introduction, but also the long, surprising break between two more straightforward driving moments. The band’s fury is immediately rekindled with Horrific Distortions, a creation much more oriented towards violence and pure efficiency, coupled with more vivid waves of rage, but the tempo is slowed down to make the march heavier towards the end, just before Five Blades revives its disturbing patterns, which quickly disappear in favor of more direct ones. The final slowness leads into The Southern Temple, where the musicians continue to distill their virulent, mystical art dedicated to darkness – as evidenced by the rather equivocal lyrics – right up to the very last moment.
Helljjin Combat sees Sijjin continue their quest for the occult and violence with eight devastating new compositions. Whether you like it Old School or stranger, the band’s Death/Thrash is sure to hit the spot!
85/100