Burning Witches

About Burning Witches

Burning Witches came together in 2015 in Brugg, Switzerland, which isn't exactly known as a metal hotbed. Guitarist Romana Kalkuhl had a straightforward plan: form an all-female heavy metal band that played traditional metal without irony or gimmicks. She recruited guitarist Sonia Nusselder, bassist Jeanine Grob, and drummer Lala Frischknecht. The lineup clicked quickly, and they had their debut album out by 2017.

That first self-titled record established what they were about: dual lead guitars, galloping rhythms, and vocals that pulled from the Doro Pesch playbook. They weren't reinventing anything, but they played with enough conviction that people noticed. The production was clean, the riffs were sharp, and songs like "Burning Witches" made it clear they'd studied their Judas Priest and Iron Maiden records closely.

The real momentum started when Seraina Telli joined on vocals in 2018. She brought more range and power, which you can hear immediately on Hexenhammer. That album got them onto bigger festival stages and opened doors for touring with bands like Saxon. The title track and "Black Widow" became setlist staples, the kind of songs that work whether you're playing to fifty people or five thousand.

They followed it up fast. Dance with the Devil dropped in 2020 with a slightly darker edge. "Wings of Steel" and the title track showed they could write hooks that stuck without watering down the heaviness. By this point they were a reliable touring act, the kind of band that fills the mid-afternoon festival slot and makes people pay attention instead of wandering off for beer.

Then Telli left in 2021, which could have derailed things. Instead they brought in Laura Guldemond from Shadowrise, and she fit seamlessly. The Gate of the Nine Gates came out in 2023 and proved the lineup change wasn't going to slow them down. If anything, Guldemond's vocals pushed them slightly harder. Tracks like "Nine Worlds" and "The Spell of the Skull" leaned into the epic side of traditional metal without tipping into cheese.

They're still based in Switzerland, still touring regularly, still putting out records that sound like they were made by people who genuinely love this specific strain of metal. They've built a following in Europe and made inroads elsewhere, though they're not headline-arena big. They don't need to be. Burning Witches work because they know exactly what they're doing and they do it well. No fuss, no concept albums about wizards, just solid heavy metal played by people who care about the details. They'll probably keep doing this as long as people keep showing up, which seems likely.

Their shows are straightforward metal gigs—tight, competent, and heavy. Crowds stay engaged because the band isn't phoning it in. No surprise flourishes or stage production theater, just solid execution that makes the material land harder in a room full of people.

Known for Hexenhammer, Arson, The Crucible, Conjuration, Torched

See Burning Witches Live