There are definitely worse ways to spend an evening than at Birmingham’s Asylum venue, particularly when tonight’s offering sees all-female Swiss heavy metal band Burning Witches return to UK soil as part of their “Witches and Kings” tour, supported by German power metallers Hammer King.
This tour is Hammer King’s first time the U.K, so it is pleasing to see the venue filling up despite the early doors, and a decent smattering of their T-Shirts among the crowd. A pivotal theme of Hammer King is that of the name of their latest album – “Make Metal Royal” again. They start strong with branding on point, arriving on stage with a giant hammer and tearing powerfully and dramatically straight into King for a Day, which sets the bar high for the rest of the night.
Thundering on into the set with tracks such as Kingdom of Hammers and Kings, König und Kaiser and Major Domus, the crowd warms up. Their songs are punchy, catchy, and Hammer King do a stellar job of introducing themselves to U.K patrons. Titan Fox V has a towering and engaging stage presence as he brandishes his hammer and delivers crowd rousing anthems with his distinctive and powerful vocals. Accompanied by Gino Wilde on guitar, Günt von Schratenau on bass and Count Ivo Shandor on drums, there are scintillating solos and chunky riffs tinged with just the right amount of panto glory. Both the band and the crowd are enjoying themselves as they feed off each other’s energy – you always know a band has done the job right when they can get a British crowd chanting in the band’s native language, as evidenced during an enthusiastic execution of Hammerschlag.
A smashing cover of Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone followed, taking us straight back to the 80s and brought the already high energy levels up another notch. Drawing the set to a close, Birmingham was gratefully declared Hoheitsgebiet: another stage conquered, another legion formed. Ending with Kingdom of the Hammer King, it’s obvious from the array of smiling faces that they have succeeded in making an impact. Is it over the top and a bit cheesy? Yes. Are their songs catchy, riffy and laced with epicness. Also yes. Hammer King bring the hammer, literally and figuratively.
This band has a bit of everything: powerful vocals, sweeping guitars, speed, classic German power metal screams, a massive hammer and glorious imagery – but most of all: they are fun to watch and exciting to listen to. This becomes all the more evident once the show is over and I see the vast queue that has formed at their merch stand – a lot of new converts to their cause. This is a support band that cannot be faulted and I definitely don’t think I’m speaking only for myself when I say that it was an honour to witness a show on their first UK tour and I hope we aren’t waiting long for a return visit. Maybe even a headline tour of their own? Time will tell.
There is a frantic kind of excitement as Burning Witches take to the stage in dramatic style, opening with Soul Eater, which definitely feels like a statement of intent for their evening. Released last year, this song really showcases the evolution of Burning Witches and how their sound has developed and tightened over time. There is everything you could ask for here: crushingly heavy, powerful vocals, gnarly tremolos, throbbing bass and some Sabbath-esque sounding drums, these ladies of metal are firing on all cylinders and the crowd is here for it.
They progress straight into Shame, another from the latest album, really highlighting Laura Guldemond’s astonishing vocals – powerful, brutal; a definite raspier tone that is so well suited and shows no sign of fatigue despite the demanding tour. Laura has a truly captivating stage presence, every eye is upon her as she commands and works the crowd. Spellbinding, one could say!
The energy they opened with shows no sign of slowing down as the set progresses, working through Dance with the Devil and its distinctive early 80s vibe to title track of the new album, Inquisition. With sharp, edgy riffs in a classic metal style, their unique imagery and the cohesive way they work together on stage, Burning Witches are showing they truly are a force out to conquer Europe.
The set itself has a nice variety of songs from their latest album Inquisition, as well as some of their earlier material (Maiden of Steel) and solid, reliable crowd pleasers such as The Dark Tower and Hexenhammer. The sound is loud, full-bodied, and consuming. They are unquestionably a group of extremely skilled musicians, filled with passion and energy for their craft.
Ending with eponymous track Burning Witches, and firing true heavy metal straight into the heart of the audience as their parting gift, this band have ensured no one will be forgetting about them in a hurry.
This iteration of their line up is so solid – musicians at the top of their craft. Laura’s punishing vocals, the absolutely ripping dual guitars courtesy of Romana Kalkuhl and Courtney Cox, J Grob’s thunderous bass and La La’s attacking drum work – these ladies are metal to the core and seem to only keep getting better.
Images: Kate Elfström
Words: Kate and Elvis Elfström
