Having formed in 2015 in Switzerland, all-female quintet Burning Witches has accomplished more in six years of existence than some bands do in twice that span. But they’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. And they’re not coming across merely as a group attempting to empower young girls and adolescent women to shoot for their dreams, especially of the musical variety.
Burning Witches simply want to rock.
They’ve done so splendidly on their self-titled debut from 2017 and 2018’s Hexenhammer. Following the latter’s release, original members Romana Kalkuhl (guitars), Jeanine Grob (bass) and Lala Frischknecht (drums) found themselves without a vocalist. Enter current singer Laura Guldemond, whose presence helped spur 2020 follow-up Dance With the Devil to their first charting positions in Germany and the U.S. The Circle of Five EP and an acoustic sessions soon followed, paving the way for new second guitarist Larissa Ernst to join the fold.
Now with their circle solidified, Burning Witches is set to release fourth full-length The Witch of the North via Nuclear Blast Records on May 28. As was the case with the majority of their vinyl efforts, this record is produced by original singer/bassist Marcel “Schmier” Schirmer of German thrashers Destruction and features a steady dose of rockers, riffs and a ballad that put band members over the top when we discussed it today.
It also continues in Burning Witches’ tradition of closing its albums with a bonus-track cover song. This time, it’s a crunchy rendition of 1987 title track Hall of the Mountain King that pierces the ears. Burning Witches brought in Savatage guitarist Christopher Caffery (2019 ATM interview here) to revisit the solos for some extra oomph. Furthermore, the album’s cover artwork was done by Claudio Bergamin, who drew Judas Priest’s Firepower.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic derailed Burning Witches’ planned tour last year with another one of their prior guest cover musicians — Manowar co-founder and guitarist Ross “The Boss” Friedman — the ladies are gearing up to unleash their coven on the metal masses. Time will tell if the U.S., and San Antonio in particular, will receive a chance to witness the group in person.
To tide fans over until that time arrives, click on the new videos from the forthcoming album below, then watch today’s entire Alamo True Metal chat with Lala and Larissa.