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BURNING WITCHES
Inquisition

Napalm (2025)
Rating: 7/10

I can never quite decide if this all female Swiss group has under or over-achieved. With six studio albums under their belts now and always popular on the festival circuits, Burning Witches should be top tier heavy metal. However, even with their quality output I see them as mid-table metal at best.

Inquisition, just like previous albums, is strong and consistent. All the songs are good, but nothing more or less as the band walk through fire to achieve a sound that rests somewhere between Ice Earth, Testament, Vicious Rumours and classic heavy metal circa Dio.

After a short intro of monk-like chanting (‘Sanguini Hominum’), ‘Soul Eater’ comes crashing through the window. It’s a furious display, the axe work of Courtney Cox and Romana Kalkuhl a furnace mesh of driving riffs and leads, but at times there is an issue with the mix. Burning Witches give everything for the cause; a snarling smorgasbord that results in such a fiery blend of Laura Guldemond’s vocals and a striking Testament meets Iced Earth style of metal.

There are some borderline thrash cuts to chew on if you like a more up-tempo style of aggression. The best of these is ‘In For The Kill’, a track that unleashes venom, particularly through the drums of Lala Frischknecht who is an absolute beast on this album.

I’ve always preferred the more aggressive side of Burning Witches because although the mid-tempo rocker ‘In The Eye Of The Storm’ and the lighter, more traditional ‘The Spell Of The Skull’ are decent enough, they just don’t match the fury and energy of ‘Mirror, Mirror’. Even so, the band is still adept at crafting more subtle touches, especially through the restrained simmering of ‘Release Me’, and there’s still some catchy mid-paced joy with ‘Burn In Hell’ and ‘High Priestess Of The Night’ with its spiralling leads.

Inquisition is Burning Witches doing what they do best, providing fluctuating heavy metal of power and shade without ever reaching the desired sweet spot.

Neil Arnold

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