Burning Witches: When The Myth Becomes The Legend
The iridescently captivating beauty of Cleopatra, the fabled deadly fall of Icarus, the unfortunate demise of Achilles, the unavoidable stoney glare of Medusa; from every far away corner of the world, our differing cultures are bound by treacherous and heroic stories cloaked in the mystical allure of mythology. From the Greeks to the Mayans, the Egyptians to the Incas, history continues to pen the larger-than-life characters from around the globe on numerous creative platforms.
Books, theatrical plays, movies, comics, and music, all provide a never-ending avenue for creative expression. Following in the footsteps of their musical heroes from the likes of IRON MAIDEN, AMON AMARTH and MANOWAR, Swiss quintet BURNING WITCHES have chosen to embrace the icy environments of Nordic mythology in the run-up to their fourth full-length release, The Witch Of The North.
Embodying the narrative of strong, dangerously dominant women, vocalist Laura Guldemond explains that the plans for a mythological themed record was never spoken out loud or discussed, but that the musicality and riffs emanating from guitarist Romana Kalkuhl sounded so Viking-like, that “all the puzzle pieces just fell together. I wanted to know more so I read a lot of stories and Googled a lot trying to find the mythology that was useful for me. I even discovered that Freya is sometimes depicted as the goddess that gives the power to witches to look into the future, so I took Freya as The Witch Of The North and for other stories like Flight Of The Valkyries. There’s a bit of culture in there too with thralls, which is a Viking word that means ‘slaves,’ that they would capture when plundering a village.”
Inspiration for the traditional heavy metal that BURNING WITCHES creates can be found in abundance, with tales of adventure perfect for the soft and inspiring guitar trills, and the tales of woe suitable for galloping drums and spine chilling vocal growls. Myths and legends from around our breath-taking globe appear in many forms, and whilst metal is synonymous with dark and demonic imagery, the fear instilled from horror films are surprisingly not one of the aforementioned outlets for inspiration, as Laura admits to often shying away from being scared.
“Sometimes I read a book and I like the story, so I’ll draw inspiration from that. For one of our songs I got inspiration from The Witcher before it got popular and trended again on Netflix, some people might know it as a game or a book.” Instead, both the coven’s artwork and music go hand-in-hand with the idea of comic book characters and the beloved superhero aesthetic. Marvel similarities glint in the sun-bounced snow as Laura confesses to lusting over the idea of the band being portrayed as heavy metal heroes, much like their influence MANOWAR and the American larger-than-life vibe that’s present in their imagery too. To accomplish this blend of heavy metal power and Demi-goddess strength, the five witches ensnared the assistance of Claudio Bergamin and his talent for conveying a story within the confines of comic-like images, of which Finnish band BATTLE BEAST and JUDAS PRIEST‘s Firepower artwork also adorn.
It’s no secret that heavy metal is such a diverse and malleable genre, bending to whatever purpose we may need it for in that exact moment in our roller-coaster of a life. For Laura, it’s the energy and the power that makes her feel energised with “the same kind of feelings you’d get when watching action movies, that epic feeling. Without even realising it, that’s probably why I like to that with my voice too, to feel that power with the aggression.”
The band have seen a line-up change in recent years with the addition of guitarist Larissa Ernst, as well as Laura’s unholy initiation into the coven for their third album Dance With The Devil in 2020. Embarking on any new venture comes with it’s challenges and quests, one of which requires the voice to mould to the musical landscape and the rocky uneven track it’s about to journey out onto without ruining the vocal chords. Singing such monstrous and epic tales for eight hours a day in the studio can certainly feel like a vocal work out, training the voice to seamlessly switch between the techniques of clean melodies and distorted growls without effort and with ease, is something Laura muses over when noticing her voice becoming less and less tired. “I’d never done a whole setlist for example, when you’re in the studio for eight hours of the day. You take small breaks to eat and drink coffee, but you’re singing and recording the rest of the time and that can be pretty demanding for your voice.”
For such diverse and differing tracks like the passionate and desperate ballad of Lady Of The Woods compared with the melancholic mood of Tainted Ritual and the sheer brutality and shrieking venom that’s apparent in Nine Worlds, the delivery and tone is crucial. As Laura explains, getting the chance to explore the softness rather than the usual harsher tones is an exciting feat, and vulnerability is key. “I usually make a demo, record myself, and listen back to it to make sure I’ve got enough feeling. If I’m almost crying whilst doing it, then I’m sure that the emotion is going to be there.” What makes Lady of the Woods even more special, is that the dramatic male voice in the background is Romana’s dad, who also happens to be a professional opera singer.
Going forward, there’s more to come from BURNING WITCHES. They’re not about to let the snowy blizzard of their artwork and imagery extinguish the hot, fiery coals they walk upon, with the title track The Witch of the North set to be the next single release and a 2021 Autumn tour in place that may or may not be pushed back to 2022.
The Witch Of The North is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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