Review | Burning Witches – Inquisition

Napalm Records

A decade deep into their witching hour, the coven of Burning Witches returns to embark on an `Inquisition’. The album is already their sixth studio recording and their most thematic to date. Ten years of crafting fiery metal anthems led to this semi-conceptual effort delving into the sinister shadows of medieval persecution, religious oppression and biblical tyranny, and female defiance withstanding the raid on proclaimed witchcraft. It’s darker, more deliberate, and executed with an unrelenting sense of purpose that shows just how far these Swiss metal priestesses have come since their 2015 formation. `Inquisition’ sets a new benchmark for the band and spawns their cinematic tendencies with relentless thrive.

AN OMINOUS WORLD

Opening with the harrowing ouverture ,,Sanguini Hominum”, the listener is drawn into an ominous world through ritualistic chants and cinematic atmospheres with a marching stance underneath. Welling guitar licks bleed into a tide of ripping riffs with ,,Soul Eater” storming in like a possessed war horse, galloping with thrash urgency and guitars that snarl and lash with intent. The bass roaring like Lemmy’s, and with Guldemond belting out snarling and anger-laden, the song run rampant. It’s a familiar sound for fans, burning hot with NWOBHM influences and 90s thrash. The execution here is tighter, meaner, and more narratively connected.

Romana Kalkuhl’s guitars are the blazing backbone of the record. Churning out rapid-fire riffage or weaving harmony-laden twin solos together with her counterpart, metal titan Courtney Cox. The fretwork again is punishing, and dazzling, delivered with insane skills and remarkable interplay. The discharge of the duels and close harmonies adds volumes to the sonic spectacle and its menacing ambiance, with Kalkuhl and Cox as evil twins.

There’s precision in every tremolo-picked passage and character in every bend, especially on tracks like the poignant ,,Shame” and ,,Mirror Mirror”, where the songwriting and stacked guitar work leans into Maiden-esque drama without ever coming across derivative. The Witches cleanse influences with their uniqueness and flavor.

RAISING THE BAR

The latter displays Laura Guldemond’s vocal prowess and her consistency in raising the bar. Aside raising the bar, on `Inquisition’ Laura also the hairs on the back of your neck, as she delves immensely deep conveying the agony, frustration of eras forgotten. She invigorates the lyrical content with drama and theatrical extravaganza. Her performance on the title track ,,Inquisition” is particularly unrelenting, wielding her banshee wail like a branding iron. She doesn’t merely sing these stories, Laura summons them, letting every line drip with fury, fire, and theatrical gravitas.

The chorus hits like an ironclad hammer, and it’s here you feel the band fully immersed in their narrative. Laura’s range continues to amaze; in the melodic heart of intense slow mover ,,Release Me”. Laura accurately scales back the ferocity in favor of aching vulnerability and soar. Showcasing a nuanced side, inflating the song with passion and flare, Guldemond displays her ability to evoke a wide range of poignant drama.

A BIG SURPRISE

One of the biggest surprises is ,,High Priestess of The Night”, that sees Burning Witches lean into mid-tempo gloom and swagger without losing one ounce of its sheer intensity. It grooves, it pulses, and it feels like a deliberate nod to Dio-era Sabbath. It’s fist-pumping, soulful, and seductively dark, with guitars delivering fierce jagged riffs and scorching licks, and Guldemond belting out with towering soar. The chorus smoulders long after the track ends, and it’s perhaps one of the album’s most accessible and memorable moments.

From a construction standpoint, `Inquisition’ displays a welcome arc in its overarching musical discharge. A large chop is packed with full-force assaults and headbanging turmoil, but just when you think they settle into predictable terrain, the band shifts their compositional gears to dive into an explorative stance. The previously mentioned ,,Release Me” adds emotional depth, and ,,In the Eye of the Storm” displays a variety in hooks and melody lines, fused atop a brooding atmosphere, with the vocal register further explored by Guldemond. Towards the end the instrumental section is near-cinematic, with revering atmosphere and enormous hooks returning to the fold. These moments, like on ,,The Spell of the Skull” are raising the bar. Enormous hooks and daunting melodies that add to the conceptual spectacle, with the players all being absorbed by its creative momentum.

DEEPER INTO THE STORY

Pitching metal, ,,In for the Kill”, with its tormenting vocals, takes the listener deeper into the story’s descent. Its layered instrumentation and fierce rhythmic interplay between bassist Jeanine Grob and drummer Lala Frischknecht anchoring the chaos with undeniable groove and precision. The turbulence adds to the creative diversity, without losing sight of the menacing concept, also evoked on ,,Burn in Hell” with its dazzling arpeggios and relentless fury. It is benchmark Burning Witches what makes “Inquisition” more than a solemn procession.

,,Malus Maga” is the epilogue of the album, making the story go full circle on its concept, and closing the album with brooding accolades to invite for another spin.

BURNING WITCHES – THE CONCLUSION

Produced by Damir Eskic and V.O. Pulver, the sound is thick and immersive, even a bit claustrophobic, underscoring the album’s concept. Everything breathes, even at its heaviest. The album thrives on dynamics, subtle details like haunting backing vocals, cinematic flourishes, and the push-pull between aggression and melody add a richness that earlier releases lacked. The variety of the songs is traversed in the intensity of the mix.

However, while `Inquisition’ sees the Witches ante up, there’s room to push the envelope further. Some tracks lean too much on the band’s established formula. There’s nothing wrong with giving fans what they crave, a little more experimental risk could’ve elevated the `Inquisition’ even more.

But all in all; Burning Witches have done more than refine their sound: they’ve embraced it, embodied it, and summoned a force bigger. It’s a theatrical exorcism of the past, dressed in leather and lace with added fire and steel. The story is bolder, the musicianship more confident, and its atmosphere more immersive than ever. With `Inquisition’, Burning Witches continue their ascent as a female-fronted force in the metal world. They’re a band that deserves to be mentioned. Whether it’s the virtuosic guitar duels, the hurricane-force vocals, or the fearless commitment, this assault on the senses is a triumphant spell worth casting.

Release date: 22 August 2025