While Swiss all female metallers Burning Witches are still considered newcomers in the metal scene their music style is profoundly influenced by old school heavy metal as you can easily tell listening to the brand new album “Hexenhammer”.
On “Executed” the frenetic bombastic rhythm is clearly inspired by decades of classic heavy metal with dominant lead guitars delivering the perfect dosage of shredding to spice up the steady crushing grooves as well as melancholic melodic phrases.
“Lords Of War” tends to slow down a bit in order to sound more catchy and slightly ‘happier’,especially during the triumphant chorus, but this doesn’t sacrifice the powerful sonic formula further enhanced by high pitch vocals and flamboyant guitar work.
The mood gets darker on “Dead Ender” as somber tones characterize the steady riffage and consequent mid paced grooves while guitar leads once again stand out with enjoyable melodic accents.
The title track continues to channel classic ‘80s heavy metal and in fact revolves around the catchy & rough guitar driven grooves adorned by intense vocals, solemn warrior style backing vocals and smooth melodic guitars.
“Maneater” has a proper witchy mood fueled by wicked vocals with devilish high pitch while guitars are busy maintaining classic heavy grooves that reach the expected acme with wilder soloing.
It takes courage to cover an unforgettable metal anthem like “Holy Diver” but here Burning Witches deliver a solid version with genuine passion and a flattering cool vocal performance.
It’s nice to see more women in the modern metal scene and on the energetic release “Hexenhammer” Burning Witches proudly represent a timeless genre that will always gather acolytes worldwide.