The all-female Swiss power metal band, Burning Witches, embody a ferocious ‘80s heavy metal aura with a touch of thrash, power metal, nostalgia and songs shrouded in the dark mysteries of the occult.
Combining the songwriting prowess of Romana Kalkuhl, the vocal range of Laura Guldemond and the guitar-shredding chops of latest addition, Philadelphia-born Courtney Cox (no, not Monica from “Friends”) with the rest of the Witches, the band dishes out their otherworldly sound with razor-sharp precision and high-octane energy straight from their musical cauldron.
Think a hexed Judas Priest meets an all-women Iron Maiden, tinged with Latin chants, medieval themes and spell-binding live performances. Songs about religious oppression, Norse mythology, rebellion and past lives, welcome listeners to a séance of fantasy, history and a mystical heavy metal realm.
They’re currently touring the U.S., and we had a chance to speak with founding member/guitarist Romana Kalkuhl about the band’s inspiration, line-up changes, latest album “Inquisition” and more.
Catch Burning Witches live Thursday at Sellersville Theater.
Q: Where did the name Burning Witches come from and what does it mean to you, your fans and your music.
Romana Kalkuhl: When I started the band, we first talked about a name that would fit us musically and personally. After receiving some names, we just decided on Burning Witches. This was the beginning of a new chapter in my and our lives. It changed our lives, totally. Now, 11 years later, I’m proud of what we have achieved and what we are doing. And it works! We know that the sound is not as modern as many bands are nowadays, but we don’t [care] about what is in or out! We just love what we do, and this means a lot to our fans everywhere in the world.
This band is our life!
Q: What inspires your sound and song writing? I know the song “Shame” was inspired by the Game of Thrones “Walk of Shame” episode. I’d be curious to know where else you draw inspiration from.
Kalkuhl: Yeah, we talk a lot about themes, especially because the Middle Ages in Europe was a dark chapter about the witch’s thing, so we love to take some historic stuff to our lyrics. But sometimes, there are also other inspirations, like books or TV that helped. But the main theme is the theme from our lives in the past.
Q: You’ve gone through a few line-up changes over the years, notably in 2019 Laura Guldemond became your new singer, and more recently Courtney Cox joining on guitar. How have these changes impacted your sound, songwriting and overall group dynamics?
Kalkuhl: Changing members is always not easy and makes us, of course, sad. We try to put as much patience as possible with every member and also, I try to do as good as possible for a nice home for every one of the Witches, but yeah, also I have learned that not every person is born to record, travel and live together, in a nice and professional way. The music doesn’t change much because we have our structure of the sound and we feel every verse, chorus, solo part and the melodies. So, Burning Witches is a fast train that goes and if you are strong enough, you are in!
For me, it feels like Laura has been with us since the beginning of the band. Courtney is just a dream come true musician in the right place. This sound is exactly what Courtney is, Courtney’s playing. Just a perfect match!
Q: Last year you celebrated your 10-year anniversary with the release of your sixth album, “Inquisition.” What was it like writing and recording the new record and how was it different from working on previous albums?
Kalkuhl: We are always kinda nervous when we start to record. The writing procedure was easy because we just love to play and compose. In general recording of Inquisition was smoother and easier for all of us, and especially because for the first time Courtney did an amazing job, as you can hear [this is the first album Courtney has played on as a member of the band]. Maybe it’s also an age thing that we feel better now and we just record.
Q: The song titles on the album read almost like chapters in a book. Was this intentional? Was “Inquisition” intended to be a concept album?
Kalkuhl: Hmm. It’s of course a historic theme that happened for real. There are many books about this dark time. We read a lot and we discuss a lot, and of course, the concept album will be cool, but no, it’s just the main part of the album has the inquisition theme, not the rest.
Q: Your U.S. tour was cancelled last year because of factors outside of your control. Are you excited to be back in the U.S.? How do U.S. audiences compare with audiences around the world? For those seeing you for the first time, what can they expect from your live show?
Kalkuhl: Yes, that was bad last year and brought us a lot of problems, but we are extremely happy that people are pushing to be a part of this tour! Ahhh, audiences are in some countries more energetic and some less. A good example is Argentina. People singing our songs, before the show begins. Chile is the same, but in some countries, the people just look and have fun, that’s also OK.
If you want to come to see us for the first time, I can tell you, if you wanna have this real spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, full of energy, and just girls kicking your ass, then you are on the right side, so come and enjoy! We played for real, no playbacks, no overdubbing … just five girls playing music. That’s the way it should be!
Jay Honstetter is a freelance writer.