#sijjin — Public Fediverse posts

Zabaniyah

The Zabaniyah are the “Wardens of Hell,” who torture the sinners or carry off the souls of the wicked. They’re identified with the “19 angels of Hell,” & “Angels of punishment,” & Guardians of Hell,” & “Angels of Hell.”

According to the Quran & the ahadith, the Zabaniyah are 19 in number. Maalik is their leader. Maalik is an angel in Hell/Purgatory who guarded the hellfire & assisted by the other angel guards of the Zabaniyah. As angels, despite their unsightly looks & actions, are ultimately subordinate to God. Their actions are considered just because of this.

Zabaniyah is the name for a group of angels. The angels of punishment are those angels who said, “Will you (God) place there in one who will cause corruption & shed blood?” questioning the creation of Adam.

A tradition from At-Tabhkirah, a book authored by Al-Qurtubi, recorded that 1 of Zabaniyah was named Daqa’il, who accompanied the Angel of Death whenever he took the souls of a sinner. A Zabaniyah angel called Susa’il shows Muhammad the punishments of sinners in hell. However, the 1 which Muhammad met during Mi’raj & shown Muhammad about hell was Maalik himself, the leader of Zabaniyah.

The Zabaniya are 19 in number. The number 19 is only meant for the archangels, or leaders of the angels of hell. Another classical exegesis addendum is that their number is 19,000. Modern Saudi mufti Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baz has mentioned some 4.9 billion angels who keep hell, where each 70,000 holds a bridle from 70,000 while restraining Jahannam. A mufti is an Islamic legal scholar who interprets religious law to issue authoritative rulings.

The 19 angels refer to the leaders of those angels, including Maalik. While the insurmountable numbers were referring to the hell angels, which were led by those 19 Zabaniyah.

Several features of the Zabaniyah describe their physicality:

• Face
  • Several Habiths as recorded that Muhammad has met Maalik, the Zabaniyah, in 1 occasion described that he had a sickeningly ugly face. The true face of Zabaniyah angels is so repulsive beyond comprehension, to the point that any living human could die by the shock of only looking at their face. Aside from those, the Isra’ &Mi’raj tradition, Muhammad also notes the gruesome appearance of Maalik in his dream. The eyes of Zabaiyah were like lightning & their mouths were like spurs of chicken. Their hair is so long that it’s dragged under their feet. They’ve “repulsive faces, eyes like flashing lightning, teeth white like cows’ horns, lips hanging down to their feet, & rotten breath.
• Size
  • The Zabaniyah are the largest type of angel. Their shoulders are described as having a distance of 500 years. The angels that protected Muhammad from Abu Jahl’s aggression near the Ka’ba were 12 zabaniyah as tall as the sky. 1 of the Zabaniyah has its chest as wide as 1 of the gates of Jahannam. Jahannam is the place of punishment for evildoers in Hell.
• Tools
  • Zabaniyah angels carrying tools such as an iron beater or Mirzabba with 2 prongs, & whip(s) made of fire. The Zabaniyah angels used these tools to punish the sinners vigorously. The Zabaniyah will drive the sinners into Hell with “iron hooks.” Also, they carry hot chains for torturing inmates.
• Strength
  • The Zabaniyah are the most powerful among angels. The Zabaniyah angels were created by Allah to perform any tasks commanded upon them to torture the inmates of Hell. Allah has granted Zabaniyah the ability to manage a torture for sinners that no one can emulate. Gripping strength that was so severe, which no creature could match. After the Judgment Day, 1 of Zabaniyah was described as being able to drag entire sinners who are judged to enter Hell while carrying a mountain on his shoulder. He’ll use the said mountain to crush the sinners, after all of them have entered Hell. During Judgment Day, the Zabaniyah angels will lift & drag out Jahannam from its place to the surface of the plain, and the inmates of Hell will be in blind & deaf condition. The Zabaniyah angels possessed an ability where those deaf inmates could somehow hear the voices of Zabaniyah, who tortured them.
• Fingers
  • The Zabaniyah angels possessed fingers with the number of the sinners that’ll be thrown into Hell after the Judgment Day. The fingers of Maalik are so hot to the point that if 1 of his fingers touched the sky, that finger would cause the sky to melt. Zabaniyah was created 1,000 years before Hell was created. While their physical strength grows every day, to the point that each of Zabaniyah’s fingers could squeeze a human from the head to the ankles.
• Wings
  • The Zabaniyah had wings. The Zabaniyah showed up before Abu Jahl (he was the main opponent of the Prophet Muhammad), as Muhammad prayed in/at the Kaaba. 1 of the Zabaniyah scares Abu Jahl when he tries to trample on Muhammad’s neck with his foot. When asked about his retreat, Abu answered that he suddenly saw a winged, terrifying monster in a trench filled with flames, between him & Muhammad. This incident were/was believed by Muslims to be the Asbab al-Nuzul (Revelation) of the Quran chapter al-Alaq 96:18. Allah made the Zabaniyah angels’ hearts hard because they have 0 mercy towards the inmates.

The Zabaniyah also imposes punishments on people who commit Riba (usury) by pelting their mouths with rocks while forcing them to swim in a river of blood. The situation of people who commit usury in Barzakh (a realm of the afterlife) before the Judgment Day.

According to the Quran, the Zabaniya are the angels of death who conduct the souls of sinners & question them in the grave. Nazi’at & Nasitat & Munkar &Nakir, they help Azra’il (Azrael), who’s the canonical Angel of Death in Islam. Nazi’at is commissioned to take the lives of unbelievers forcefully, while Nashitat takes believers gently.

They appear as black shadows to the dying person, pull their souls out of their bodies, & drag them to hell. It’s been recorded that after the Angel of Death has separated the soul of the sinner from their body, an Zabaniyah angel named Daqa’il will restrain the soul with a giant wrap which made from rough hairs & parading the soul to the sky. This is before throwing the soul towards another Zabaniyah angel(s), who react by taking the soul into the Sijjin, a rock-shaped prison of the sinners below the Barzakh.

The Zabaniyah’s role during the Judgment is that they’re tasked with gathering & suppressing all sinners, Muslims & non-Muslims alike. Whoever wants to be saved from torture AFTER Judgment Day should recite the basmala (This is an Islamic phrase that means: “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”) frequently during their life. As the basmala consists of 19 letters in accordance of the number of Zabaniyah.

1 of their duties after Judgment Day is to push those who mocked Islam into Hell. They’re also described as leading the army of angels.

In some Isra’ & Mi’raj traditions:

The Zabaniyat landscape of the 1st layer of Hell & the fiery seas within. As Maalik was created by God inside Hell. So they would have no desire to leave & feel comfortable in it. They’re standing tall above Saqar, a place in Hell. They’re also described as leading the army of angels. Al-Muddaththir 69:30 is interpreted about how the group of Zabaniyah threw the sinners into Jahannam.

They have the task of Zabaniyah driving sinners to enter Hell. In some Isra’ & MI’raj traditions the Zabaniyat landscape of the 1st layer of Hell & fiery seas within. As Maalik explains to Muhammad that the Zabaniya were created by God inside hell so they’ve no desire to leave this place & fell comfortable in it. The Zabaniyah are standing tall above Saqar, a place in Hell.

Each Zabaniyah restrained the sinners who were fated to be thrown in Hell are shackling each sinner’s arms to their neck before dragging them down. The Zabaniyah perform their job by using both of their hands & feet in torturing sinners in Hell. The Zabaniyah will drag the face of those they torture.

The Zabaniyah will shackle the inmates, cursing them, pouring boiled water on top of their head. While at the same time, force-feeding them with the fruits of Zaqqum tree. In Islam, the Zaqqum tree is a cursed tree that’s rooted in the center of Jahannum. It’s 1st mentioned in the Quran, 3x by name, as a tree that produces fruits that’s fed to the inhabitants of Hell to burn their stomachs, before they’re also fed boiling liquids.

In an interpretation of Quran chapter Al-Haqqa verse 32 gave their explanation that the chains in the verse were meant to be the chains used by Zabiyah angels to shackle the inmates in Hell. The Zabaniyah will shove the hot chains to the inmates rectums until it emerges from their mouth.

As for Muslim sinners which has committed huge sins & never repented during their life, the Zabaniyah tasked to shackle them more leniently than non-Muslim, & torture them until all of their sins has paid off with the punishments inflicted. Thus sent them all to Heaven.

Meanwhile, for non-Muslims, Ka’b has described the Zabaniyah shackle & drag them more severely than Muslim sinners into Hell while burning them as they walked in, then punish them for eternity. The Zabaniyah angels will wrap the inmates of Hell with a nail made of fire. So they’ll not hear anything, & none of those inmates can see that there is other peoples tortured nearby.

Sufism tradition says the fate after death that an army of angels of punishment battled against the angels of mercy over the soul of a sinner. In some Turkish lore, it’s believed that both groups battle, their strikes cause thunder.

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By now you have all grown sick of #aoty #aoty2025 lists, right? Bear with us, we have one more for you to suffer through! 😁 Here are the 10 #metal releases that hit us the hardest, in alphabetical order. This wasn’t exactly easy as 2025 was full of new high quality material.

#DeathKommander
Never To Grow Old

#gaahlswyrd
Braiding The Stories

#gorekaust
Fleshcross

#gravehex
Vermian Death

#gruesome
Silent Echoes

#inhumancondition
Mind Trap

#Malthusian
The Summoning Bell

#proscription
Desolate Divine

#sijjin
Helljjin Combat

#teitanblood
From the Visceral Abyss

#soulcrusher was great. Whether you are into #doommetal #deathmetal or #blackmetal the festival had that covered. We attended day two, have some footage that includes #forn #sijjin #oranssipazuzu and #bloodincantation Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaFs6TFrLoM&list=PLmn2ED1LqEvAXNJttz9xBuC5wtef6PPjP&index=2

New post: Gig Review: Blood Incantation / Oranssi Pazuzu / Sijjin – Garage, Glasgow (9th October 2025) https://www.moshville.co.uk/reviews/gig-review/2025/10/gig-review-blood-incantation-oranssi-pazuzu-sijjin-garage-glasgow-9th-october-2025/ #BloodIncantation #OranssiPazuzu #Sijjin

2/4 To be honest, the deciding factor for us to get tickets for #soulcrusher this year was the addition of #sijjin We saw them in 2022, they killed it. If you aren’t familiar with them, just know the band originates from the demise of the mighty #NecrosChristos Same intensity, same technicality. It’s #deathmetal too but with a twist of Thrash. Their set was tight and so headbanging-ly enjoyable.

This #thursdeath we can't help but think about this coming weekend's festival: #soulcrusher ! Lots of great metal bands will play, including #sijjin which we had the pleasure to see back in 2022 with #sadisticintent This footage gives a taste of things to come! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ANlnkmypR4&list=PLmn2ED1LqEvDm9gQke0WXv51xN5erPEYJ

New post: Blood Incantation announce Elsetour II https://www.moshville.co.uk/news/tours/2025/05/blood-incantation-announce-elsetour-ii/ #BloodIncantation #OranssiPazuzu #Sijjin

Sijjin – Helljjin Combat Review

By Mark Z.

I’ve heard people say that today’s music has nothing new to offer, but I actually think it has the opposite problem. To me, there are too many fucking bands out there playing technical blackened dissodeath with a tuba or some shit and not enough who simply take a tried-and-true style and execute it well. Such was what initially drew me to Sijjin. Right around the time their infamous doom-death band Necros Christos dissolved in 2021, bassist/vocalist Malte Gericke and drummer Iván Hernández joined forces with guitarist Ekaitz Garmendia (Legen Beltza) to pay homage to the earliest years of death metal with Sijjin’s full-length debut, Sumerian Promises. With its twisted tremolos and thrashy undercurrents, Sumerian Promises was a fun throwback that reeked with the archaic death stench of bands like Sadistic Intent, Mortem, Atomic Aggressor, and early Morbid Angel. Almost four years later, the group have now finally delivered their second album, Helljjin Combat. But is this a triumphant victory or yet another casualty of the heavy metal battlefield?

One thing is clear: Helljjin Combat is quite a bit different than its predecessor. The change in approach is apparent right from the opener, “Fear Not the Tormentor,” which begins with an extended instrumental opening that uses technical riffing and lively bass guitar in a way that almost sounds like Voivod. The tech-thrash vibe continues throughout the songs’s eight-and-a-half minute runtime, with dexterous fretwork trading off with quick, chunky chords and twirling tremolos, all anchored by a refrain that consists of a staccato shout of the track title. While it’s not the primitive death-thrash I was looking for, it’s a fine song in its own right.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album isn’t quite as successful in executing the band’s new style. It soon becomes apparent that many of these eight tracks spend less time delivering sharp hooks and memorable riffs and more time simply lurching forward on mid-paced pseudo-grooves that only occasionally get the head bobbing. Sometimes, interesting ideas will crop up, like when “Religious Insanity Denies Slavery” evokes old Metallica with a dusty, cleanly-picked midsection that builds into Old West-style lead guitars. Yet moments like this only make it more apparent how so much of the surrounding material fails to stand out. It doesn’t help that none of these songs are under five minutes, and it’s also unfortunate how many of them open with similar-sounding semi-technical riffs that make me contemplate hitting the stop button well before the album’s 49 minutes are over. Malte’s vocals also sound throatier and less raspy than on Sumerian Promises, which is fitting for the band’s new approach but still isn’t the most welcome change.

Fortunately, there’s some stuff to enjoy here. The two pre-release songs, “Dakhma Curse” and “Five Blades,” probably won’t make anyone’s Song ‘O the Year List, but at least their nimble riffing and quicker rhythms offer the album a nice shot of energy. “The Southern Temple” serves as a decent closer with the more powerful riffing in its second half, and the band’s instrumental prowess is more impressive than ever (especially Ekaitz’s adept riffing and solos). Ekaitz recorded the album in his own studio in the Basque Country, and the result is fantastic. The sound is clear and powerful, with the guitars roaring confidently and the bass guitar maintaining an active and distinct presence below the riffing. And while the atmosphere isn’t as strong as the debut, there’s still a whiff of ancient evil here that I find most welcome.

Yet ultimately, Helljjin Combat is the epitome of a Mixed bag. While the production and the instrumental performances are great, the songwriting is less compelling. With a few sharper hooks, tighter track lengths, and a couple of faster songs, Helljjin Combat could have easily been better than Sumerian Promises. As it is, I can’t help but be a bit disappointed that not only did Sijjin choose to move away from death metal and into a more technical thrash metal sound, but also that they didn’t do the best job executing this new style. While there are a couple of decent songs and some impressive things here, I don’t see Helljjin Combat as an album I’ll be returning to often.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Sepulchral Voice Records
Websites: sijjin.bandcamp.com | Facebook | instagram.com/sijjin_official
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025

#25 #2025 #Apr25 #AtomicAggressor #DeathMetal #HelljjinCombat #InternationalMetal #LegenBeltza #Metallica #MorbidAngel #Mortem #NecrosChristos #Review #Reviews #SadisticIntent #SepulchralVoiceRecords #Sijjin #ThrashMetal #Voivod

Sijjin – Helljjin Combat Review

By Mark Z.

I’ve heard people say that today’s music has nothing new to offer, but I actually think it has the opposite problem. To me, there are too many fucking bands out there playing technical blackened dissodeath with a tuba or some shit and not enough who simply take a tried-and-true style and execute it well. Such was what initially drew me to Sijjin. Right around the time their infamous doom-death band Necros Christos dissolved in 2021, bassist/vocalist Malte Gericke and drummer Iván Hernández joined forces with guitarist Ekaitz Garmendia (Legen Beltza) to pay homage to the earliest years of death metal with Sijjin’s full-length debut, Sumerian Promises. With its twisted tremolos and thrashy undercurrents, Sumerian Promises was a fun throwback that reeked with the archaic death stench of bands like Sadistic Intent, Mortem, Atomic Aggressor, and early Morbid Angel. Almost four years later, the group have now finally delivered their second album, Helljjin Combat. But is this a triumphant victory or yet another casualty of the heavy metal battlefield?

One thing is clear: Helljjin Combat is quite a bit different than its predecessor. The change in approach is apparent right from the opener, “Fear Not the Tormentor,” which begins with an extended instrumental opening that uses technical riffing and lively bass guitar in a way that almost sounds like Voivod. The tech-thrash vibe continues throughout the songs’s eight-and-a-half minute runtime, with dexterous fretwork trading off with quick, chunky chords and twirling tremolos, all anchored by a refrain that consists of a staccato shout of the track title. While it’s not the primitive death-thrash I was looking for, it’s a fine song in its own right.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album isn’t quite as successful in executing the band’s new style. It soon becomes apparent that many of these eight tracks spend less time delivering sharp hooks and memorable riffs and more time simply lurching forward on mid-paced pseudo-grooves that only occasionally get the head bobbing. Sometimes, interesting ideas will crop up, like when “Religious Insanity Denies Slavery” evokes old Metallica with a dusty, cleanly-picked midsection that builds into Old West-style lead guitars. Yet moments like this only make it more apparent how so much of the surrounding material fails to stand out. It doesn’t help that none of these songs are under five minutes, and it’s also unfortunate how many of them open with similar-sounding semi-technical riffs that make me contemplate hitting the stop button well before the album’s 49 minutes are over. Malte’s vocals also sound throatier and less raspy than on Sumerian Promises, which is fitting for the band’s new approach but still isn’t the most welcome change.

Fortunately, there’s some stuff to enjoy here. The two pre-release songs, “Dakhma Curse” and “Five Blades,” probably won’t make anyone’s Song ‘O the Year List, but at least their nimble riffing and quicker rhythms offer the album a nice shot of energy. “The Southern Temple” serves as a decent closer with the more powerful riffing in its second half, and the band’s instrumental prowess is more impressive than ever (especially Ekaitz’s adept riffing and solos). Ekaitz recorded the album in his own studio in the Basque Country, and the result is fantastic. The sound is clear and powerful, with the guitars roaring confidently and the bass guitar maintaining an active and distinct presence below the riffing. And while the atmosphere isn’t as strong as the debut, there’s still a whiff of ancient evil here that I find most welcome.

Yet ultimately, Helljjin Combat is the epitome of a Mixed bag. While the production and the instrumental performances are great, the songwriting is less compelling. With a few sharper hooks, tighter track lengths, and a couple of faster songs, Helljjin Combat could have easily been better than Sumerian Promises. As it is, I can’t help but be a bit disappointed that not only did Sijjin choose to move away from death metal and into a more technical thrash metal sound, but also that they didn’t do the best job executing this new style. While there are a couple of decent songs and some impressive things here, I don’t see Helljjin Combat as an album I’ll be returning to often.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Sepulchral Voice Records
Websites: sijjin.bandcamp.com | Facebook | instagram.com/sijjin_official
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025

#25 #2025 #Apr25 #AtomicAggressor #DeathMetal #HelljjinCombat #InternationalMetal #LegenBeltza #Metallica #MorbidAngel #Mortem #NecrosChristos #Review #Reviews #SadisticIntent #SepulchralVoiceRecords #Sijjin #ThrashMetal #Voivod

Sijjin – Helljjin Combat Review

By Mark Z.

I’ve heard people say that today’s music has nothing new to offer, but I actually think it has the opposite problem. To me, there are too many fucking bands out there playing technical blackened dissodeath with a tuba or some shit and not enough who simply take a tried-and-true style and execute it well. Such was what initially drew me to Sijjin. Right around the time their infamous doom-death band Necros Christos dissolved in 2021, bassist/vocalist Malte Gericke and drummer Iván Hernández joined forces with guitarist Ekaitz Garmendia (Legen Beltza) to pay homage to the earliest years of death metal with Sijjin’s full-length debut, Sumerian Promises. With its twisted tremolos and thrashy undercurrents, Sumerian Promises was a fun throwback that reeked with the archaic death stench of bands like Sadistic Intent, Mortem, Atomic Aggressor, and early Morbid Angel. Almost four years later, the group have now finally delivered their second album, Helljjin Combat. But is this a triumphant victory or yet another casualty of the heavy metal battlefield?

One thing is clear: Helljjin Combat is quite a bit different than its predecessor. The change in approach is apparent right from the opener, “Fear Not the Tormentor,” which begins with an extended instrumental opening that uses technical riffing and lively bass guitar in a way that almost sounds like Voivod. The tech-thrash vibe continues throughout the songs’s eight-and-a-half minute runtime, with dexterous fretwork trading off with quick, chunky chords and twirling tremolos, all anchored by a refrain that consists of a staccato shout of the track title. While it’s not the primitive death-thrash I was looking for, it’s a fine song in its own right.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album isn’t quite as successful in executing the band’s new style. It soon becomes apparent that many of these eight tracks spend less time delivering sharp hooks and memorable riffs and more time simply lurching forward on mid-paced pseudo-grooves that only occasionally get the head bobbing. Sometimes, interesting ideas will crop up, like when “Religious Insanity Denies Slavery” evokes old Metallica with a dusty, cleanly-picked midsection that builds into Old West-style lead guitars. Yet moments like this only make it more apparent how so much of the surrounding material fails to stand out. It doesn’t help that none of these songs are under five minutes, and it’s also unfortunate how many of them open with similar-sounding semi-technical riffs that make me contemplate hitting the stop button well before the album’s 49 minutes are over. Malte’s vocals also sound throatier and less raspy than on Sumerian Promises, which is fitting for the band’s new approach but still isn’t the most welcome change.

Fortunately, there’s some stuff to enjoy here. The two pre-release songs, “Dakhma Curse” and “Five Blades,” probably won’t make anyone’s Song ‘O the Year List, but at least their nimble riffing and quicker rhythms offer the album a nice shot of energy. “The Southern Temple” serves as a decent closer with the more powerful riffing in its second half, and the band’s instrumental prowess is more impressive than ever (especially Ekaitz’s adept riffing and solos). Ekaitz recorded the album in his own studio in the Basque Country, and the result is fantastic. The sound is clear and powerful, with the guitars roaring confidently and the bass guitar maintaining an active and distinct presence below the riffing. And while the atmosphere isn’t as strong as the debut, there’s still a whiff of ancient evil here that I find most welcome.

Yet ultimately, Helljjin Combat is the epitome of a Mixed bag. While the production and the instrumental performances are great, the songwriting is less compelling. With a few sharper hooks, tighter track lengths, and a couple of faster songs, Helljjin Combat could have easily been better than Sumerian Promises. As it is, I can’t help but be a bit disappointed that not only did Sijjin choose to move away from death metal and into a more technical thrash metal sound, but also that they didn’t do the best job executing this new style. While there are a couple of decent songs and some impressive things here, I don’t see Helljjin Combat as an album I’ll be returning to often.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Sepulchral Voice Records
Websites: sijjin.bandcamp.com | Facebook | instagram.com/sijjin_official
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025

#25 #2025 #Apr25 #AtomicAggressor #DeathMetal #HelljjinCombat #InternationalMetal #LegenBeltza #Metallica #MorbidAngel #Mortem #NecrosChristos #Review #Reviews #SadisticIntent #SepulchralVoiceRecords #Sijjin #ThrashMetal #Voivod

Sijjin – Helljjin Combat Review

By Mark Z.

I’ve heard people say that today’s music has nothing new to offer, but I actually think it has the opposite problem. To me, there are too many fucking bands out there playing technical blackened dissodeath with a tuba or some shit and not enough who simply take a tried-and-true style and execute it well. Such was what initially drew me to Sijjin. Right around the time their infamous doom-death band Necros Christos dissolved in 2021, bassist/vocalist Malte Gericke and drummer Iván Hernández joined forces with guitarist Ekaitz Garmendia (Legen Beltza) to pay homage to the earliest years of death metal with Sijjin’s full-length debut, Sumerian Promises. With its twisted tremolos and thrashy undercurrents, Sumerian Promises was a fun throwback that reeked with the archaic death stench of bands like Sadistic Intent, Mortem, Atomic Aggressor, and early Morbid Angel. Almost four years later, the group have now finally delivered their second album, Helljjin Combat. But is this a triumphant victory or yet another casualty of the heavy metal battlefield?

One thing is clear: Helljjin Combat is quite a bit different than its predecessor. The change in approach is apparent right from the opener, “Fear Not the Tormentor,” which begins with an extended instrumental opening that uses technical riffing and lively bass guitar in a way that almost sounds like Voivod. The tech-thrash vibe continues throughout the songs’s eight-and-a-half minute runtime, with dexterous fretwork trading off with quick, chunky chords and twirling tremolos, all anchored by a refrain that consists of a staccato shout of the track title. While it’s not the primitive death-thrash I was looking for, it’s a fine song in its own right.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album isn’t quite as successful in executing the band’s new style. It soon becomes apparent that many of these eight tracks spend less time delivering sharp hooks and memorable riffs and more time simply lurching forward on mid-paced pseudo-grooves that only occasionally get the head bobbing. Sometimes, interesting ideas will crop up, like when “Religious Insanity Denies Slavery” evokes old Metallica with a dusty, cleanly-picked midsection that builds into Old West-style lead guitars. Yet moments like this only make it more apparent how so much of the surrounding material fails to stand out. It doesn’t help that none of these songs are under five minutes, and it’s also unfortunate how many of them open with similar-sounding semi-technical riffs that make me contemplate hitting the stop button well before the album’s 49 minutes are over. Malte’s vocals also sound throatier and less raspy than on Sumerian Promises, which is fitting for the band’s new approach but still isn’t the most welcome change.

Fortunately, there’s some stuff to enjoy here. The two pre-release songs, “Dakhma Curse” and “Five Blades,” probably won’t make anyone’s Song ‘O the Year List, but at least their nimble riffing and quicker rhythms offer the album a nice shot of energy. “The Southern Temple” serves as a decent closer with the more powerful riffing in its second half, and the band’s instrumental prowess is more impressive than ever (especially Ekaitz’s adept riffing and solos). Ekaitz recorded the album in his own studio in the Basque Country, and the result is fantastic. The sound is clear and powerful, with the guitars roaring confidently and the bass guitar maintaining an active and distinct presence below the riffing. And while the atmosphere isn’t as strong as the debut, there’s still a whiff of ancient evil here that I find most welcome.

Yet ultimately, Helljjin Combat is the epitome of a Mixed bag. While the production and the instrumental performances are great, the songwriting is less compelling. With a few sharper hooks, tighter track lengths, and a couple of faster songs, Helljjin Combat could have easily been better than Sumerian Promises. As it is, I can’t help but be a bit disappointed that not only did Sijjin choose to move away from death metal and into a more technical thrash metal sound, but also that they didn’t do the best job executing this new style. While there are a couple of decent songs and some impressive things here, I don’t see Helljjin Combat as an album I’ll be returning to often.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Sepulchral Voice Records
Websites: sijjin.bandcamp.com | Facebook | instagram.com/sijjin_official
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025

#25 #2025 #Apr25 #AtomicAggressor #DeathMetal #HelljjinCombat #InternationalMetal #LegenBeltza #Metallica #MorbidAngel #Mortem #NecrosChristos #Review #Reviews #SadisticIntent #SepulchralVoiceRecords #Sijjin #ThrashMetal #Voivod

Sijjin – Helljjin Combat Review

By Mark Z.

I’ve heard people say that today’s music has nothing new to offer, but I actually think it has the opposite problem. To me, there are too many fucking bands out there playing technical blackened dissodeath with a tuba or some shit and not enough who simply take a tried-and-true style and execute it well. Such was what initially drew me to Sijjin. Right around the time their infamous doom-death band Necros Christos dissolved in 2021, bassist/vocalist Malte Gericke and drummer Iván Hernández joined forces with guitarist Ekaitz Garmendia (Legen Beltza) to pay homage to the earliest years of death metal with Sijjin’s full-length debut, Sumerian Promises. With its twisted tremolos and thrashy undercurrents, Sumerian Promises was a fun throwback that reeked with the archaic death stench of bands like Sadistic Intent, Mortem, Atomic Aggressor, and early Morbid Angel. Almost four years later, the group have now finally delivered their second album, Helljjin Combat. But is this a triumphant victory or yet another casualty of the heavy metal battlefield?

One thing is clear: Helljjin Combat is quite a bit different than its predecessor. The change in approach is apparent right from the opener, “Fear Not the Tormentor,” which begins with an extended instrumental opening that uses technical riffing and lively bass guitar in a way that almost sounds like Voivod. The tech-thrash vibe continues throughout the songs’s eight-and-a-half minute runtime, with dexterous fretwork trading off with quick, chunky chords and twirling tremolos, all anchored by a refrain that consists of a staccato shout of the track title. While it’s not the primitive death-thrash I was looking for, it’s a fine song in its own right.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album isn’t quite as successful in executing the band’s new style. It soon becomes apparent that many of these eight tracks spend less time delivering sharp hooks and memorable riffs and more time simply lurching forward on mid-paced pseudo-grooves that only occasionally get the head bobbing. Sometimes, interesting ideas will crop up, like when “Religious Insanity Denies Slavery” evokes old Metallica with a dusty, cleanly-picked midsection that builds into Old West-style lead guitars. Yet moments like this only make it more apparent how so much of the surrounding material fails to stand out. It doesn’t help that none of these songs are under five minutes, and it’s also unfortunate how many of them open with similar-sounding semi-technical riffs that make me contemplate hitting the stop button well before the album’s 49 minutes are over. Malte’s vocals also sound throatier and less raspy than on Sumerian Promises, which is fitting for the band’s new approach but still isn’t the most welcome change.

Fortunately, there’s some stuff to enjoy here. The two pre-release songs, “Dakhma Curse” and “Five Blades,” probably won’t make anyone’s Song ‘O the Year List, but at least their nimble riffing and quicker rhythms offer the album a nice shot of energy. “The Southern Temple” serves as a decent closer with the more powerful riffing in its second half, and the band’s instrumental prowess is more impressive than ever (especially Ekaitz’s adept riffing and solos). Ekaitz recorded the album in his own studio in the Basque Country, and the result is fantastic. The sound is clear and powerful, with the guitars roaring confidently and the bass guitar maintaining an active and distinct presence below the riffing. And while the atmosphere isn’t as strong as the debut, there’s still a whiff of ancient evil here that I find most welcome.

Yet ultimately, Helljjin Combat is the epitome of a Mixed bag. While the production and the instrumental performances are great, the songwriting is less compelling. With a few sharper hooks, tighter track lengths, and a couple of faster songs, Helljjin Combat could have easily been better than Sumerian Promises. As it is, I can’t help but be a bit disappointed that not only did Sijjin choose to move away from death metal and into a more technical thrash metal sound, but also that they didn’t do the best job executing this new style. While there are a couple of decent songs and some impressive things here, I don’t see Helljjin Combat as an album I’ll be returning to often.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Sepulchral Voice Records
Websites: sijjin.bandcamp.com | Facebook | instagram.com/sijjin_official
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025

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