Obsidian Gathering celebrates its first iteration at Boom, Leeds, with a line up of esteemed underground metal acts.

OBSIDIAN GATHERING

There’s a new name on the northern gig circuit. Obsidian Gathering, a Leeds and Newcastle based event group, made their debut with an all-dayer at Boom, pulling together bands from across the North and Scotland.

One thing that stood out in the lead up was how widely the bill cast its net across heavy music, from post-metal and sludge to black metal, doom and groove. The weather was truly disgusting, and it took me the whole show to dry off, but it couldn’t dampen a great first event.

Opening the day were Aonarach, the second project of Ruadh, who would return to the stage later on. (It’s not pronounced like the outdoor jacket, as the singer was quick to point out). Compared to their parent band, Aonarach is a more straightforward black metal proposition. They have one album out so far which is described as depressing, given it was written in the lockdown period, with more material teased for the near future. Their set covers a good spread, even including what they described as a ballad. A great start to the day.

ACCEPTANCE

Next came Leeds’ own Acceptance, who I’ll describe as sludgy, blackened post-metal (a new term, I know). Formerly known as Fatalist, they’ve moved away from pure black metal into something broader and more expansive. The set was as bleak as ever, and the frontman really drives the band forward, delivering a twisted vision through a thundering performance. There is a reason they’re seen as local favourites with the show they put on.

Still are known for a strange fusion of styles. They thread post-hardcore through avant-garde black metal, and the three-piece were one of the standouts of the day. The Hull band have been building a loyal following since forming in 2016, and their debut full-length, { }, landed on Trepanation Recordings in 2021. Its follow-up, A Theft, arrived in November 2024 via Floodlit Recordings. It’s a bleaker, more dissonant record than anything they’d done before, blurring the lines between avant-garde black metal, chaotic hardcore and experimental noise.

That’s exactly how it translates live. With all three members sharing vocal duties, they directed a fury of hate and dissonance at the crowd. There was a real sense of atmosphere throughout, with the bassist using modulated sound between songs to build dark textures and keep the tension from ever letting up. The band punished their way through the set, and for many people it was one of the highlights of the day.

RUADH

Perhaps my most anticipated act of the day, Ruadh returned to the stage after opening proceedings as Aonarach. Each Ruadh album tells the story of a particular chapter of Scottish history or mythology: The Rock of the Clyde took us to Iron Age Scotland, Eternal traced the pagan wheel of the year, and their latest, 1296, released on Northern Silence in 2023.

It’s one of my favourite albums in recent times, and their Scottish folk-tinged black metal, lifted by powerful clean vocals, sounds even bigger live, so it was a joy to hear so much of it in the set. The vocalist knew exactly how to work the crowd, with plenty of Scottish wit throughout, and we were treated to a new track too, a promising sign that the next chapter isn’t far off. Hails to Ruadh; it was great to finally hear this material live.

HEAVY GROOVE METAL

Iron Altar were the band I knew least about going in. I was keen to hear what had been described to me as “pretty damn heavy groove metal”. They didn’t disappoint, with riffs that pummelled through the set and an animated frontman who made for a great introduction to their style. After a run of blackened bands, it was a welcome change of pace.

Before I knew it, we were down to the final two. Hundred Year Old Man are a band I’ve seen many times, and they always deliver. The Leeds band emerged in 2017 and released 2018’s debut album Breaching, a sprawling slab of sludge-weighted post metal. Their most recent album, 2022’s Sleep in Light, came out of real tragedy. At nearly 80 minutes it’s a vast, grief-soaked record. It’s widely regarded as one of the finest UK post metal albums in years.

That weight carries straight into the live show. Their heavy, doom laden post metal stretches time and space. With six people on stage you can always expect to be blown away. Once again they hit the crowd with an expert mix of sound. They always feel bigger than the room they’re in, a true wall of sound, and they were another highlight of the day for me.

MASTIFF

Closing the day were Hull’s Mastiff, with their punishing blend of sludge, doom and hardcore. They always bring it, and the energy in the room turns right up. It’s always great to see a band in this kind of form, and they brought the pain. What a closer, and the perfect way to cement the point I made at the start about this bill’s blend of genres.

It was an excellent day at Boom, as always, and a treat to hear such an eclectic mix of heavy music under one roof. For their first all day event, Obsidian Gathering got it right, and I’m keen to see what they do next. Keep an eye out for their upcoming shows, including several Leeds gigs from Oakenthrone, 1914 and Grief Ritual.

Obsidian Gathering: Facebook / Instagram