I first discovered Burning Witches at Wacken in 2019. They unleashed a powerful live set full of energy and immediately piqued my interest with their brand of fierce, stirring heavy metal.
On this album “The Witch of the North”, they have definitely stepped it up several notches and the first listen is intriguing.
Heavy thundering riffs, soaring vocals and lyrics that celebrate goddesses, pagan lore and transport you to times long past.
The album starts with a haunting intro “Winter’s Wrath” and then hurls you into the title track “The Witch of the North” and there is no doubt that this album is going to take me on a truly heavy metal journey, with the vocals shifting from impressive powerful screaming to more gritty determination.
Then just when you become accustomed to the pace of the album, they take you in another direction with the intro to “Flight of the Valkyries”, the guitar and vocals are full of feeling and a more pure sound…. and then suddenly they throw you back into the pit with hectic riffs and some superb gravelling vocals that reassure you that the future of heavy metal is indeed in safe hands.
The solos are spectacular, the drumming is tight and holds everything together perfectly with fills that elevate the music even further.
The changes from slower pace clean guitars, accompanied by stunning clean vocals, to the acceleration into a full-on metal attack from the whole band, gives you a clear picture of the talent and passion that has been injected into this music.
“The Lady of the Woods” is an incredible track, the vocals exude feeling from start to finish and the guitars are exceptional. I immediately put this song on repeat!
This album is a celebration of heavy metal in its finest and Burning Witches have captured the elements of the greats of metal in such a convincing manner that you would think they have been doing this for decades.
Recommended for fans of heavy, power and thrash metal.
Burning Witches: Facebook
Release Year: 2021
Label: Nuclear Blast
Category: Album
Country: Switzerland / Netherlands
Reviewed by ForsakenMisery
