As you may have guessed by now, we’ve got an affinity for goat-related things here at Nine Circles. So naturally, when Chile’s Istengoat announced the LP reissue of their 2014 debut full-length, Atlas Shrugged, coverage was imminent. Istengoat plays a brand of dirty-sounding OSDM that leans on the likes of Incantation and Morbid Angel without outright copying them. It’s tough to be totally original in the genre anymore, but the band does a good job of paying tribute to their heroes while forging their own battle ready sound.

The members of Istengoat have also been in bands like Christ Ablaze, Bellum and Dominus Xul, and throughout this album, influences of all their shared spaces shine through — whether black metal, death metal or in between. Drummer C.I.R.R.’s blasts have a black metal foundation and sound, with the kicks way up front in the mix. opener “Ascension” is a good example of this, and wastes no time getting into the groove.

“Unverzagt” is another early highlight and makes the two tracks that precede it seem like foreplay. The mix of black metal speed and muddy sounding death metal will be music to anyone’s ears, and vocalist WLTS sounds as though he’s barking with quicksand in his throat. Later, the title track gives way to unexpected senses of groove and melody through most of the meat of the song, and guitarists David Liempi and PTRC duel each other for the spotlight. All things considered, it makes for an interesting sound.

The remainder of the album is a testament to old school death metal and among the eight tracks, “With Usura” comes the closest of all to transporting the listener back to that era. Remember the nods to Incantation I touched on earlier? This track could have been done by John McEntee & Co. Yes, it’s that good.

The only weak point — and it’s a mild one — is that the album does eventually begin to meld together and lose some of its luster. With that said, Istengoat do heavy and evil very well, and most death metal fans will find plenty to dig into here. If you missed out on Atlas Shrugged‘s CD and digital releases last year, now’s a golden chance to grab it on vinyl and amend your past failings as a human.

-Josh

Atlas Shrugged is available now on Blood Harvest Records. For more information on Istengoat, visit the band’s official website.