INTERVIEW: Lala Frischknecht – Burning Witches
Swiss metallers BURNING WITCHES have released their second record Hexenhammer, working alongside Nuclear Blast once again. The all-female group have gone from strength to strength in such a short period of time, and Distorted Sound recently had a chat with drummer Lala Frischknecht to lift the lid on the new album, as well a look back to the early days of BURNING WITCHES and more.
How do you feel the band have progressed since the release of your debut album last year?
Lala: I think we’ve progressed a lot because once you play for a long time, and we’ve been playing together for three and a half years. We’ve learnt a lot in the time leading up to Hexenhammer, and when we made the CD the songs felt really different, like the song arrangement and the songs themselves are so great and it’s a really good production. We’re really motivated and I think that’s why Hexenhammer is a really good album because we’ve progressed a lot, and Romana and Seraina always have ideas with the songs.
What were the writing and recording processes like?
Lala: The processes were really good! We recorded in the same studio as our first album, and we feel at home there, plus the owner knows exactly what he’s doing. We’re recording with Nuclear Blast as well so to have one of the biggest record labels working with us is fantastic!
Are there any specific themes or messages in the record?
Lala: Well we’ve taken a lot of inspiration from Malleus Maleficarum; everyone knows this book and this book is very famous, and it deals with witch hunting. We talked about having that concept, but of course not all the lyrics come from that book, we have some lyrics about human behaviour, war making and destruction, racism and depression but at the same time the lyrics encourage you to do what’s best with your life. It’s not all about that book, but the concept is there and we have a huge respect for the people that died because it is a sad story and it makes sense for all of us to have this album concept.
What are your aspirations for Hexenhammer?
Lala: We hope that many people like it, because we gave so much effort for this album. Our heart and soul is into heavy metal so we know if many people will love this and many people can dig this album, because if you’re an 80s heavy metal fan and you hear this album it’s almost like you’re coming back from that time period. Of course we have this modern era of the music so we hope that many people will like it!
The album also features a cover of Holy Diver, what was it like to record a track so well renowned?
Lala: Well actually that’s the first song that we jammed together and then later on we played it many times on live shows and many people liked it, so we thought why not put it in the in the next album? When we made the live EP a lot of people said “come on put Holy Diver in” so we put it in and we made our own version. We made it simple, we made it authentic, didn’t change much. If you change a lot in the song, and it’s a really beautiful anthem in metal scene, it loses its authenticity.
This record is the first time you’ve recorded with new guitarist Sonia – how has she fitted into the band and has there been any changes to the style?
Lala: No we kept the same style because the first album also had melodic riffs like Alea’s guitar and Romana’s guitar so it didn’t change much. We added some speed and some elements to it, and then Sonia really fits the band, she’s very talented and she’s young, and she’s the type of person that’s like “Okay, let’s go, let’s play something like that!” This kind of person is good because everybody is motivated to do music, and everybody fits together – let’s play, let’s enjoy the music and that’s how BURNING WITCHES are right now.
Looking back when BURNING WITCHES were first formed, how did it all come about?
Lala: This is Romana’s dream to have an all-female band because she had another band called ATLAS & AXIS, but she was the only female member there. She wanted to have an all-female band and to play heavy metal so that’s how it happened. She was already friends with our bassist Jeanine, then they started and they met Seraina at a party and they talked together because Seraina is also a professional musician just like Romana and then suddenly it’s clicked. Then they needed a drummer so after a long long search for a drummer, they found me and as we play heavy metal we needed the second guitarist. Romana asked Alea our former classmate in the University of Music and she joined, but unfortunately she left the band because of personal reasons. Fortunately we found Sonia and BURNING WITCHES are a five piece again so that’s great!
Which bands were your main influences when you first started?
Lala: Well as a band it’s really clear that it’s IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST! But every girl in the band listens to any music – we’re listening from jazz, rock, punk hardcore to extreme metal or thrash metal. It depends on the mood, if it’s sunny yeah its punk rock or something like that. We will listen and we’re open to any types of music so maybe you’ll hear something in the new album that shows our influences are coming out.
What is the current scene like in Switzerland and how do you feel it’s changed over the years?
Lala: The metal scene here is really alive, we support each other. And then even if we’re living in a small country there’s hardcore, death metal, we’re really in the same scene and its really great here. But of course we’re in small country so in Germany or the UK it’s really huge so you see many people in the concerts, although we have enough here! Many bands are playing here, many good bands and we’re getting in the scene luckily – even if we’re all female band they like us here!
Looking ahead what future plans are in store for BURNING WITCHES?
Lala: Well we will continue to play festivals and shows and next year we will have more opportunities to play. We start the year fast because we will play with GRAVE DIGGER for 23 concerts which will be the first ever long tour for BURNING WITCHES! And with it being with GRAVE DIGGER it will be a learning experience for us and of course fun at the same time for sure!
Hexenhammer is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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