Durf's Weekly Workout # 30: April 15th, 2022

Well, that was a much larger break than I was anticipating!  When the Durfette and I moved our family to Tennessee last October, I thought I'd step away from this column for a couple of weeks, maybe through the end of the year.  So much for that.  The learning curve of my new job coupled with figuring out life with two kids under three in a new state absolutely torpedoed any chance I had of keeping up with Durf's Weekly Workouts, and while there were a couple of weeks in there where I probably could have made something happen, enough time had already gone by that I didn't really want to pick it back up unless I thought I could realistically keep it going every week.  And since you're reading this now, that means I think I'm at that point!  Hopefully this is the beginning of a trend of DWW being a much more common Friday occurrence around these parts, but I suppose time will tell.

Izthmi - The Arrows of Our Ways

I'll forever be a sucker for atmospheric black metal. The genre is certainly saturated, but the tried and true formula of juxtaposing the harshness of black metal with moments of serene ambiance usually allows for something engaging to emerge. The Arrows of Our Ways, the full-length debut from Seattle's Izthmi, not only engages in this way but also offers its own refreshing take that piecemeals elements from other genres into its stylistic palette. It's a very concise effort; one whose elements have enough room to seamlessly interlock with each other while never meandering. For each moment of calm, Izthmi will in turn pack a mean punch.