Review SIJJIN “Helljjin Combat”

Sijjin is a German-Basque trio that formed in 2019 and released a critically acclaimed debut album, “Sumerian Promises.” 2025 marks the return of the band and “Helljjin Combat” is the title of their second album.

Sijjin play a fusion of thrash and death metal inspired by bands like Possessed, Nasty Savage and early Slayer. What Malte Gericke, Iván Hernández and Ekaitz Garmendia deliver is raw and unpolished metal with a diabolical grin. Compared to the debut album, the new release shows the next step in the band’s development. Technically more demanding and with an extra focus on songwriting, tunes like the opener “Fear Not the Tormentor” contain this 80s feeling. Alternating between fast parts and Megadeth-like moments, the song is an 8-minute ode to hellish underground metal that knows no limits. Blistering solos, a hard-hitting rhythm section and a good sense for versatile song structures, that’s what characterizes the opener and sets the tone for the album.

Each song on “Helljjn Combat” is a well-crafted metal assault that doesn’t come with fretboard acrobatics and at the same time reflects both variety and aggression. One of the things Sijjin do well is to find the sweet spot between grim riffs on the one hand and a twist to their sound that creates a special field of tension.

Sijjin outline their musical concept in eight songs, all of which are smashing metal blasts. It is the blasphemous vibe embedded in songs like the slowly crawling riff monster “Religious Insanity Denies Slavery,” that makes the song and album a diabolical treat. Listening to “Horrific Distortions” reveals the cleverly done tempo changes and it is the furious solo part that shows metal at its best.

As said, Slayer, Possessed and Megadeth provided the blueprint for Sijjin’s current sound. This doesn’t mean that the band copies their idols. However, there are some reference moments woven into these eight songs that still have enough of a Sijjin signature to unfold a hellish bliss.