LIVE REVIEW: Hundred Year Old Man @ Boom, Leeds

This post was originally published on this site

It’s a drizzly Thursday night in Leeds at the tail end of Boom’s very existence as a venue, in its current location at least. It’s a hometown show for headliners HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN who are on tour with Scottish post-metal brethren CODESPEAKER, with a couple of local-ish openers in tow. All four bands have released excellent new material within the last few days, weeks and months so expectations are high.

Apologies are due as thanks to the maddening Leeds traffic and the fact that nearly every road approaching the venue had a ‘ROAD CLOSED’ sign blocking it, STILL’s set was well underway when your reviewer finally made it through the doors of Boom’s main room. Hopes of at least catching the final half of the set were dashed when, after an admittedly blistering rendition of Small Mercies Of Falling Apart from the band’s latest album A Theft, they downed instruments and thanked the crowd the best part of 10 minutes earlier than stated on the set times posted on the wall. Judging by the audible groans in the crowd at the set’s abrupt and premature end, STILL clearly left them wanting more of their emotionally intense, blackened post-metal. But with their stunning new album still fresh off the press and this show acting as the first night of a run of dates promoting it, you would expect them really to be milking every minute of their allotted 30. 

Rating 6/10

In contrast, SATHAMEL, who released their new EP Opposition To Life just over a month ago, have to be given the throat cutting “time’s up” gesture by HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN guitarist Tom Wright acting as stage manager when they announce that they have one song left, having already blasted through half an hour of pummelling blackened death metal. 

Although they do stick out as somewhat of an anomaly on a bill mostly made up of post-something bands, It’s an open-minded crowd tonight and SATHAMEL relish the opportunity to win them over with their unbridled intensity, technical prowess and hair-spinning showmanship. Drummer Michael Robinson is on especially fine form, blast-beating and double-kicking like a man possessed. And although there are a couple of moments where it feels like the rest of the band are pushing themselves to keep up with him, that only adds to the feral atmosphere of the songs. A slightly muddy mix fails to fully articulate the razor sharp riffing of guitarists Nathan Cavan and Patrick Cotter but the intent is clearly there and it’s still weighty enough so that the EP’s title track leaves a lasting impact. 

Rating 7/10

Although they’re technically main support for HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN’s tour and it being the headliner’s hometown show of said tour, CODESPEAKER approach their set as if it’s a co-headliner, bringing with them an impressive level of production for a DIY show in a 180 cap venue. The stage is drenched in smoke, with the five-piece backlit by blood-red LED lighting.

Opener Usud from their phenomenal new album Scavenger sets the scene perfectly, its atmospheric intro giving way to muscular riffing underpinned by twinkling arpeggios from guitarists Adam Thornton and Bob Fraser. While the rest of the band are enshrouded in smoke and silhouetted against the backlights, vocalist Greg Armstrong cuts an imposing figure, pacing the first few rows of the crowd and bellowing his throaty roar into their faces. 

The rhythmic and relentless main riff of Hetacomb conjures up RUSSIAN CIRCLES at their most punishing, before they dip into their 2022 self-titled debut, with the rumbling bass intro to Carthage penetrating rib cages and building tension to breaking point as the rest of the band come crashing in like a collapsing dam. Verte shows a more introspective side of the band, with moments of haunting clean guitars and sparse drumming from Jimmy Grace entrancing the audience before the crushing chorus leaves them pinned to the spot. Closing with the latest single Rescission, it’s a sight to behold as all five members really dig in to the monstrously heavy grooves, pulsating as a single ungodly organism. 

Rating 9/10

HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN are no strangers to Boom, having played many a show there over the years, their last show here as recently as August as a pre-ArcTanGent warm up. With the venue due to close next year due to scumbag landlords, it’s only fitting that the hometown leg of their tour is played here. 

HYOM have carved a niche for themselves at the darker, more emotionally heavy end of post-metal spectrum, with lengthy compositions dealing in grief and mental turmoil. The tragic passing of founding member Owen Pegg in recent years and the fact they’ve chosen to carry on in honour of his legacy adds additional weight to their very existence, with each show they play acting as catharsis for the band and fans alike. 

This run of dates coincides with the release of Portrait Of The Sleep Deprived, a two-song EP made up of ambient re-imaginings of previous compositions featuring some of Owen’s last recordings, copies of which are on sale in the form of pristinely presented cassettes at the merch desk, proceeds from which are being donated to mental health charity Calm. 

With that being said, their set tonight is far from ambient, leaving their the new tracks on the merch desk in favour of the crushing post metal we know and love. They open with the title track of their 2022 full-length Sleep In Light, glacial in it’s pacing, density and frosty execution.

We’re then given a glimpse into what the future might hold for HYOM, with an as-yet-untitled new track, which actually brings glimmers of hope and resilience into their usually morose sound, with vocalist David Duxbury bellowing a refrain of ‘we resonate as one!’ 

A haunting spoken word sample then gives way to the grinding despair of A New Terror, the band drenched in blue light reflecting the icy cold atmosphere of the song. Guitarist Tom Wright brings out a violin bow to provide eerie, booming drones, which are nicely juxtaposed with the almost synth like trem picking of his counterpart Mark Howes, both of which are underpinned by the throbbing bass provided by Helen Tytherleigh. Closer A Long Wall is a master class in tension and release, as pensive chugging gives way to lumbering doom riffs.

It’s a shame Boom, at least in its current premises, will soon be no more, but with tonight being the last time HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN will play here, they’ve given the dilapidated but charming building a fine farewell. 

Rating 8/10

Like HUNDRED YEAR OLD MAN on Facebook.

The post LIVE REVIEW: Hundred Year Old Man @ Boom, Leeds appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.