If ever a band and a venue were meant to come together, it’s Opeth and Halifax’s Piece Hall: the historic building’s towering walls are practically crying out for gothic riffs, and the 6000 fans packed into the place on Saturday night were no less demanding. This was to be the Swedish prog metal juggernauts’ only UK show in 2026, and they were ringing in the occasion in style with Paradise Lost and Katatonia— what better way to spend Yorkshire Day than head-banging and crowd-surfing?

Katatonia

Katatonia were a natural booking to support Opeth— Jonas Renkse and Mikael Åkerfeldt are best friends, after all— but they did look rather silly in the Yorkshire sunshine. They’re definitely a band closer associated with night, but the Piece Hall’s strict curfew had them playing in the ‘definitely daytime’ of 6:20pm: perhaps that might explain why Katatonia’s entrance was so lacking in fanfare, and why Renkse looked so pained throughout the set. Despite their thirty-year history, the five-piece were relegated to a forty-minute opening set, a period they filled with tracks from across (most of) their storied discography. The death metal forays of ‘Brave Murder Day’ and ‘Discouraged Ones’ were, of course, absent, but you could hardly fault Renkse and company on account of their setlist— over just seven tracks, fans were treated to favourites both old and new, performed by a band rejuvenated by recent lineup changes. None of that explains why Katatonia’s show went down as an underwhelming one though.

Don’t get us wrong: this was a decent performance, and a good way to kick off this night of gloomy metal madness— new guitarists Elgstrand and Svalland have settled into the band quite nicely, ripping their way through the solos on ‘Lethean’ and ‘No Beacon to Illuminate Our Fall’ with absolute ease. Honestly, the weak link was arguably Renkse himself, who’s unsure demeanour and unsteady vocals didn’t quite fit with the massive scale of this event. The infectious breakdown that capped off ‘Thrice’ earned itself some nodding from the crowd, but it didn’t smack you in the face like you would’ve wanted: somehow, whether because of a rough-around-the-edges mix or poor stage presence, Katatonia’s show didn’t quite translate to the Yorkshire audience. This was a show you wanted to love, for the charming antics of bassist Niklas Sandin, for the booming riffs of ‘Forsaker,’ for the anthemic chorus of final number ‘My Twin.’ It just didn’t quite stack up in the end, especially in comparison with what was to come.

Paradise Lost

This was Opeth’s show, don’t get it twisted, but in many ways, it belonged to Paradise Lost: this Halifax-based band, playing on home turf on Yorkshire day, skulked out onto the stage with absolute confidence (and a hell of a lot of smoke), and they had every right to. Paradise Lost are doom metal, right down to the grim expression frontman Nick Holmes wore throughout the entire show, and they were letting loose their entire arsenal of pain and despair at Piece Hall— lumbering opener ‘Serpent on the Cross’ was a statement of intent from the five-piece, and things would only grow heavier and more menacing from there. The band is full of characters, and you’d have had as much fun watching the jolly playing of Aaron Aedy as you would admiring the dramatic lead work of Gregor Mackintosh, but united, the group were here for one singular purpose: to make their mark on familiar soil.

Like Katatonia before them, Paradise Lost were playing a setlist that celebrated their rich history as a band— they’ve tackled a hell of a lot of sounds and styles over the years, as their triumphant cover of Bronski Beat’s ‘Small Town Boy’ demonstrates. Newest record ‘Ascension’ received a lot of love, with Holmes and company rounding out the entire show with the stomping riffs of ‘Silence Like the Grave,’ and it should be no surprise to hear that these songs, just like the band’s oldest material, were sounding monstrous at Piece Hall: Holmes’ vocals, whether we’re talking about his demonic growls or his gruff singing, had an unmistakable presence to them that beat you about the head time and time again, and the rest of the band weren’t slacking behind. It was endearing to see Renkse and Moilnanen from Katatonia enjoying themselves side stage, and fantastic to watch Opeth’s Walterri Väyrynen joining the band for ‘Ghosts.’ The chants of ‘Yorkshire’ across the venue were drowned out only by the extreme response awarded to ‘The Last Time’ and ‘The Enemy.’

Opeth

And finally, Opeth: honestly, what more really needs to be said? It was a given that this band, who’ve earned themselves legendary status over the past three decades, would walk out to a packed-out Piece Hall, all screaming in excitement— what wasn’t quite as certain was the status of Åkerfeldt’s hat, which he abandoned quickly. Opeth are a confident lot, even more so than Paradise Lost before them, and it was easy to see how relaxed and at-home the band were up on that stage as they launched into the progressive metal odyssey that is ‘§1.’ Åkerfeldt’s stand-up comedy routine was as endearing here as it ever was, with his dry jabs and winding stories settling in comfortably between each track. When you’re playing at a venue like the Piece Hall, you’ve got to have your show locked down: the visuals playing behind the band may have looked a little low-quality at times, but there was no second-guessing the actual performance on offer.

Opeth may have only managed to squeeze ten songs into their set this time around, but those were lengthy, impressive songs— when the band are pulling out deep cuts like ‘Heart in Hand’ and ‘Godhead’s Lament,’ you know you’re in for a wild ride. Åkerfeldt and company have been criticised for pulling from a relatively narrow pool of tracks for their recent tours, but at Piece Hall, the setlist felt varied, surprising and constantly exhilarating: truly, what other band could throw the progressive movements of ‘The Devil’s Orchard,’ the beautiful melodies of ‘Windowpane’ and the diabolical slams of ‘The Grand Conjuration’ up against one another, and pull them all off so successfully? The five-piece were earning themselves crowd-surfers and mosh pits during ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Hex Omega,’ like the Swedish crew had complete control over roughly 6000 attendees. They just sounded unbelievable, but that should come as no surprise. They are, after all, Opeth, and their latest UK show only further cemented their near-mythical status.