Much has been said about the death of Necros Christos, a seminal band that is irreplaceable. Luckily for us, the brains behind the project, Malte, had no intention of continuing the legacy but rather forge ahead with a new vision that would also draw from the cauldron of Extreme Metal. This result was Sijjin, whose incredible debut ‘Sumerian Promises’ is no doubt one of the best Death Metal records of this decade, a love letter to the genre in its nascent years which was equally tenacious yet catchy. The Berlin based trio have finally delivered upon us their follow-up, which is excellent yet likely to result in some head scratching on first listen.
If ‘Sumerian Promises’ was an album that prided itself in its absolute barrage of nasty Thrashy Death Metal riffs thrown in rapid succession that aimed straight for the jugular, ‘Helljin Combat’ is a much more elaborate and swirling affair. You can already start to feel this with the bass line that opens the title track ‘Fear not the Tormentor’ before a segway into what can only be described as a riff lifted straight from ‘South from Heaven’. It only takes 3 minutes for us to realize that we are not in for a repeat of the debut, but something distinct. While Thrash has always played a part in Sijjin’s sound, it has gone from a complementary feature of the music to being thrusted to the forefront. It appears that Malte decided to lean on the background of both guitarist Ekaitz and drummer Ivan, who spent a good portion of their musical career playing the Basque Thrash outfit Legen Beltza. They don’t just take a page out of Slayer’s playbook (as many do), but also the more technical and proficient side of the genre – think Coroner or even the works of Infernal Majesty.
This will no doubt cause a bit of dissociation for those who were expecting a direct sequel to the debut, but this shouldn’t cause disappointment. There is obviously still an emphasis on delivering blasphemous, muscular tracks that display those irreplaceable hooks that Malte & co are so good at. Yet at the same time, the more complex and intricate song structures give way to some real unpredictability, in every facet. This is very much reflected in the length of the songs – stretching from an average of four minutes on ‘Sumerian Promises’ to around six here, but also the unconventional time signature changes that occur within each track. Even the solo work of Ekaitz has evolved significantly, not just your standard whammy bar that would make Kerry King blush but something much more refined – see ‘Dakhma Curse’ for a perfect example or the Metallica-esque ‘Religious Insanity Delivers Sanity’. One would be amiss to not pay attention to the excellent drum work of Ivan, who masterfully transitions from the faster passages to slower ones with his creative use of fills in tracks like ‘Death Opens the Grave’.
Despite all these changes in sound, Sijjin have not lost sight of who they are. While this is not as a straightforward album as ‘Sumerian Promises’, it is one that rewards persistent listeners that want a recording where they discover something new with each subsequent listen. If I had to describe what you’re going to find here, it’s the missing link between the more expansive, adventurous works of early Extreme Metal ala Poison’s ‘Into the Abyss’ with 80s Thrash/Speed. It was very unexpected when I listened to it for the first time but revisiting it over the course of 2 months has made me realize this new infusion has only served to enrich Sijjin’s sound. While not as good as the debut in my opinion, it is still a commendable piece of work that deserves your full attention.
Sepulchral Voice Records
- Country: Germany
- Style: Black Metal, Death Metal
- Links: Homepage, Facebook, Bandcamp
