2025 has been a landmark year for Swiss power-metal outfit Burning Witches in more ways than one. Not only does this year mark a decade since the all-female band’s inception in the remote village of Brugg, Switzerland, but it also marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter with the release of their blazing sixth studio album, Inquisition, which dropped this past month via Napalm Records.
On Inquisition, Burning Witches live up to their name tenfold, diving deep into the trenches of the historical witch trials of past centuries with stunning detail. While the album isn’t afraid to touch on the fear and darkness associated with such an unfortunate historical period, Burning Witches raise a defiant middle finger to all religious control and persecution via a soundtrack of catchy hooks, operatic vocals, and air-guitar-worthy riffs. Armed with a new lineup consisting of founding member, primary songwriter, and guitarist Romana Kalkuhl along with Laura Guldemond (Vocals), Courtney Cox (Guitar), Lala Frischknecht (Drums), and Jeanine Grob (Bass), Burning Witches are in peak form on Inquisition’s twelve tracks, and if you are a fan of the glory days of acts such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, you will not be disappointed in the slightest.
We caught up with Burning Witches front woman Laura Guldemond to discuss the band’s sixth studio album Inquisition, historical witch trials, musical influences, her love of all things leather, and so much more!
With Inquisition being Burning Witches’ sixth studio album, did you have a clear mission statement for what you wanted to create within the writing and recording process? I know there are themes and stories relating to various witch trials of past centuries.
Laura Guldemond: Our guitarist Romana [Kalkuhl] normally comes in with a lot of musical ideas — from riffs to full parts, and as soon as we finished our last album The Dark Tower, she was already starting work on new songs. Our last album was pretty dark and heavy, which we liked, so we decided to continue on that path. With Inquisition, we had a lot to write about because there were a lot of intense things we could pull from, including specific [historical] periods relating to people being accused of things, [witchcraft] and [put on trial]. This period was led by the Catholic Church, and everyone who was not Christian was a suspect. People were really pointing at each other to save their own lives, even if it meant betraying their own families. To be honest, this still happens to some extent today.
What kind of musical influences were you pulling from while creating Inquisition?
Laura Guldemond: We definitely have some thrash influences in addition to the eighties-inspired stuff like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. We also love bands like Destruction, Kreator, Metallica, and Anthrax.
How do you feel the band has grown as musicians and performers since your last album?
Guldemond: It’s always really hard to say, but when I listen to this new album, I can hear a big difference. We’re a bit tighter, more developed, and I think everyone is constantly pushing themselves to be better. Even when I’m not on tour or playing shows, I’m always practicing. We’ve had some lineup changes since, but the core of the band is still intact.
As an all-female metal band, what has been the most fulfilling part of carving out your own place in such a historically male-dominated genre? Is there any advice you want to give to the next generation of female metal musicians?
Guldemond: It’s definitely improved in general and people have been very accepting, but of course there are always some rotten apples. I want to inspire younger generations the same way I looked up to my heroes. I really looked up to artists like Lzzy Hale from Halestorm and Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation.
Burning Witches formed in Brugg, a very remote part of Switzerland with a population of just over thirteen thousand people. Though many of the band members are spread across many different countries now, including the Netherlands where you are based, I can imagine that it must have been pretty hard to launch this band from such a small region initially, and now with you all being so spread apart?
Guldemond: It’s funny you say remote because [Brugg] was one of the last places to prohibit burning witches. [Laughs.] Brugg has always been slow in catching up with the trends, and while there are some metal musicians, the country of Switzerland itself is not super big, so it can be hard to find like-minded people in such a small area, [hence] why they found me in the Netherlands. Once they saw my cover of “Touch of Evil” by Judas Priest online, they asked me to join the band. I must have checked all the right boxes. [Laughs.]
Your style and visual aesthetic are just as strong as your music. How important is that visual identity to the band, and how have you developed and curated it over the years?
Guldemond: I just love the style that Rob Halford from Judas Priest came up with. The leather and studs are always a favorite of mine. They can be fancy, look tough, and also be a bit dangerous, which really fits for heavy metal. At first [for my own clothing], I didn’t want to spend too much money and oftentimes put studs into my own clothes, but now I also like to buy from designers such as My Little Halo from the UK, who I actually wore in the “Unleash the Beast” video. I also love Wicked Lester Clothing, who not only design a lot of cool stuff with studs, but also design a lot of outfits for wrestlers. I love anything over the top and also want things to be a little witchy too.
You recently had to postpone your U.S. tour due to visa issues. How are you feeling about the delay, and what are you most looking forward to when you finally bring Inquisition to North American fans?
Guldemond: It’s sad to have to postpone it, especially for the people who bought tickets. Now we just have to come up with other things to entertain ourselves with in the meantime. [Laughs.] We will be rescheduling our U.S. tour and now are trying to visit a ton of new places as well, such as Japan, China, Korea, and even the Philippines, where our drummer Lala [Frischknecht] is from!
Watch the music video for “High Priestess Of The Night” by Burning Witches below.
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