Obsidian Dust – Zeal & Ardor, Villenoire, Elder & More!

Let’s be honest, it was impossible for us at CtrlAltMusic to miss the first edition of what seems to be a long-lasting, brand-new festival from Botanique teaming up with Metadrone! Obsidian Dust was an absolute blast and an amazing way to open 2025’s Les Nuits Botanique.

Read the understatement for it. Double markers. – Villenoire

We kicked off the evening with Villenoire, starting at 18:20 on the Museum Stage. It was a complete banger – I don’t think there could have been a better choice to open the festivities than these battle-hardened Brussels locals. Their alternative metal meets post-hardcore sound, pulled straight out of the late ’90s and early 2000s, definitely convinced us that there’s a good reason these guys have played so many concerts since mid-2023 without even releasing a full album. It’s juicy, it’s groovy, it’s aggressive – basically impossible to stay still during their set.

But now that they’ve finally released their first record, WHORN, on the same day as Obsidian Dust, it was time to celebrate! The setlist was exactly that: WHORN from A to Z. They kicked things off with ‘Belittle Noises’, going straight into ‘Rest Amazed’. Being the first band of the festival, the crowd was still warming up, but you could definitely see heads bobbing, even some headbanging – Villenoire slowly started growing on everyone who made the effort to be there early.

‘Stockholm View’ was when the crowd really started getting into what the quartet was delivering. It truly felt like passion on stage, with all four members fully immersed in their own music. ‘New Memories’ completely crushed us, then ‘Endnote’ picked us back up and sent us into a frenzy. ‘Stay Where You Are’ gave us some proper stankfaces, while ‘Breaksome’ lived up to its name – showing us that Ioan, their singer, probably trusts his microphone cable a bit too much, managing to break his mic.

They closed with ‘Ready to Lie’, opening the very first pit of the very first edition of Obsidian Dust – and I was in it! Can’t miss an occasion like that!

It’s impossible to say what the future holds for Villenoire, but it’s definitely looking bright, with appearances at Dour, Ieperfest, and many more festivals this summer. Keep your eyes and ears open – catch them at the next show near you and witness what Brussels’ best-kept secret can create.

Setlist: Belittle Noises – Rest Amazed – Stockholm View – New Memories – Endnote – Stay Where You Are – Breaksome – Ready to Lie

A consciousness awakened by the dawn. – Elder

Let’s be honest – is there a better way to enjoy such an iconic band as Elder than sipping a beer in a botanical garden, lying in a hammock, and soaking up the last rays of the afternoon sun? Maybe with some weed, but we still had a long day ahead of us…

Botanique definitely deserves an award for its organization: great food, solid beer, chillout spaces, and top-notch sound quality. It truly felt like a proper festival, not just an outdoor stage randomly slapped next to a concert venue.

As for Elder themselves – what can we say? It was a truly mesmerizing experience. They delivered exactly what was advertised: Lore in its entirety. Barely any scenography or crowd interaction – just amazing musicians celebrating 10 years of such a pivotal release in their career. As they’ve said themselves, it’s an album that hovers between progressive and heavy rock, with a touch of doom, a big dose of stoner, and a whole mix of other influences.

‘Compendium’, the 10-minute banger, got the crowd straight into that rich blend of sonic textures their influences create. ‘Legend’ sent us directly into that iconic headspace you only reach with fuzzy riffs and hypnotic drums. We were floating on cloud nine, enjoying every blissful moment.

Everything from that point on became foggy, as we let ourselves drift among Elder’s compositions and sometimes almost grungy vocals – especially during the 15-minute title track, ‘Lore’.

With the massive closing riffs, they transitioned into ‘Deadweight’, and soon after, they closed their set with ‘Spirit at Aphelion’. It was a majestic experience and the perfect way to enjoy a masterclass in musicianship.

Setlist: Compendium – Legend – Lore – Deadweight – Spirit at Aphelion

Don’t You Dare Look Away, Boy. – Zeal & Ardor

The last full set we caught was Zeal & Ardor’s performance on the Fountain Stage. To be totally honest, this was easily one of the greatest shows I’ve witnessed from the barrier this year. It would’ve been even better if it had started about half an hour later – letting it run deeper into sunset to really show off their incredible lighting setup – but regardless, it was neck-breaking.

The set opened with the whistles and marching drums of ‘the Bird, the Lion and the Wildkin’ – the opener from their 2024 release – then blasted straight into the end of their politically charged 2020 EP, Wake of a Nation.

After briefly chatting with the crowd, they launched into ‘Götterdämmerung’. Saying the crowd went chaotically apeshit is an understatement. A massive pit opened up in what looked more like an arena than a stage. The barrier was shaking, I was whipping my hair like my life depended on it – this is exactly how you open a show.

One of the best things about Zeal & Ardor’s incorporation of gospel into their sound is how easy it is to sing along. Gospel is meant to be catchy, repetitive, and hard to forget. ‘Ship on Fire’ and ‘Blood in the River’ deliver exactly that. It’s basically impossible to make it through the latter without joining the crowd in screaming, “The riverbed will run red with the blood of the saints and the blood of the holy.”

While the Swiss musicians are incredibly skilled, it’s also just a joy to watch them interact on stage. It doesn’t feel like a random group of guys playing music and walking off. It feels like a group of friends doing what they love. According to Tiziano, their guitarist, it’s a feedback loop: the more energy they give, the more they get back from the crowd – and vice versa.

‘Death to the Holy’ kicked off the last 6 tracks of the set, summoning armies from all corners. ‘Devil Is Fine’ followed, praising the One that matters. Then came ‘Trust No One’, delivering pure, unfiltered heaviness. ‘Don’t You Dare’ took the air out of our lungs. ‘I Caught You’ gave us one last impossibly groovy riff. And finally, ‘Clawing Out’ – a perfect crescendo to wrap up a little more than an hour of intensity.

For the love of God (or the Devil?) – if you’ve never caught Zeal & Ardor live, what are you waiting for? Don’t walk – run to the nearest show. Sadly though, you’ll have to live with the regret of not seeing them at Obsidian Dust. After chatting with Marc (Singer), Tiziano (Guitars), and Manuel (Singer & Guitars), all three independently told us it was truly one of the best shows they’ve ever played. Watching the sun set on Botanique’s glass dome, with both rafters and pit full to the brim – just awesome.

Setlist: the Bird, the Lion and the Wildkin – Wake of a Nation – Götterdämmerung – Ship on Fire – Erase – Gravedigger’s Chant – Fend You Off – Kilonova – Blood in the River – Run – Tuskegee – Row Row – to my ilk – Sugarcoat – Death to the Holy – Devil Is Fine – Trust No One – Don’t You Dare – I Caught You – Clawing out