24 May 2025 – The Crowbar, Brisbane – words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
Burning Witches seared white hot at The Crowbar in Brisbane with their first every concert in Brisbane, Australia. The Swiss heavy metal band brought local bands Asylum and Revenger and their spellbinding potion of 1980s heavy metal, guitar shredding and drum fuelled power to fans. And, it was awesome!
There were some re-arrangements to the gig in Brisbane as the support band Temtris were unable to play due to their drummer, Nicholas Bolin, having a heart attack during the Sydney concert. Everyone at the Brisbane gig sent their best wishes to the band and Nicholas Bolin and wished him a speedy recovery.
The evening kicked off Revenger a local Gold Coast based heavy metal band. There was a large crowd forRevenger at The Crowbar. They delivered a blistering display of heavy metal power. Revenger’s skintight riffs, roaring drums, their fantastic singer with an amazing vocal range, their brilliant guitarist and commanding stage presence set the perfect tone for the night with real energy and skilful heavy metal abilities on show.
Revenger performed a five-song set with the songs ‘Troubles Third Child’, ‘Thorn And Memory’, ‘The Journey’, ‘Tamarang’ and they closed out their set with ‘Book Of Shadows’. It was a fantastic performance and the Gold Coast band proved why they’re a rising force in the metal scene. Revenger warmed up the stage perfectly for Asylumand Burning Witches.
The great stage set-up for both support bands had the drummers up-front. It was so good to see that the drummers could be so well highlighted. It meant that the crowd could see the driving force of the drummers’ excellent work at delivering the rhythm which was at full force at the start from both bands.
After a quick sound check, Brisbane based thrash metal band Asylum, took to the stage. This band are always so good live with their high-energy performances that showcase their musical passion for metal. Asylum kicked off their six-song set with the powerful opening song ‘Genocidal Conspiracy’ and that merged into the track ‘Eternal Violence’ bringing a dynamic and fast-paced set together.
On ‘Cruelty Obsessed’ both Asylum guitarists hit their stride and were “warmed-up”. The skill level from the two guitarists was simply amazing to watch. Their fingers were literally dancing over the strings and the machine gun pulses from the guitars joined with the bass guitar to make the most astonishing sounds – machine gun fire riffs and rapid pulses.
For the fans in the crowd the tracks ‘Concealed Death’, ‘Sadistic Intent’ and the closing song of the set ‘Tyrannicide’ were delivered with real skill as the circle pit was going off. Even though there was an odd joking request for Asylum to: “Can you play Pink Pony Club?”. Asylum’s set was a fantastic warm up for the crowd.
The curtains were drawn across The Crowbar’s stage as equipment was changed, warmed up and backdrops were up into place. And, the house lights came up. It seemed like ages to wait. The anticipation built for the Burning Witches set and the crowd built up as well. The time came and the stage curtains opened to a new set.
The drummer Lala Frischknecht got herself into place at the back of the stage. The bloke beside me asked me to write a hello to him: “the best bloke I have ever met”. Done! And, the set commenced with some dark introduction music as the band dramatically took to the stage.
The band started the gid with real confidence and well-rehearsed energy. Jay Grob’s bass lines thundered beneath the surface, drummer Lala Frischknecht kept perfect time with brisk and decisive drumming. Courtney Cox, the lead guitarist carved out sharp, melodic solos with finesse. Simone Van Straten, who was covering RomanaKalkuhl’s duties, was tight with her guitar skills. But it was Laura Guldemond who held the centre with her mesmerizing stage presence. Her voice alternated between gritty growls and piercing high notes and her ability to control the crowd was grounded in the theatricality of 1980s metal that she delivered with modern urgency.
Laura Guldemond, the focal point of the band, was also fantastic at informing the crowd about the changes to the gig. A few things had happened. Temtris was not playing due to a medical emergency and where was Burning Witches founder and rhythm guitarist Romana Kalkuhl. It was explained by Laura Guldemond that Romana Kalkuhl was not touring with the band to Australia due to the exciting news that her baby is due in the European autumn, which is wonderful news.
Burning Witches delivered a career spanning 14 song setlist with tracks from every one of their five albums and one of their new singles as a new album is being written. The set commenced with ‘Unleash The Beast’ from ‘The Dark Tower’ and Laura Guldemond unleashed her melodic but booming voice as she belted out that first song. Her voice was spectacular. Then ‘Wings Of Steel’ followed and ‘Maiden of Steel’ from Hexenhammer and then ‘Nine Worlds’ from The Witch of the North came next. Then, the band took the crowd back around to fabulous title track ‘The Dark Tower’ from 2024’s superb album ‘The Dark Tower’ and then ‘Evil Witch’ was performed.
Burning Witches, then, played the ‘Dance With The Devil’ the title song from the album Dance With Devil and then ‘Black Widow’. Burning Witches delivered their classic hit ‘Hexenhammer’ followed by ‘Flight of the Valkyries’. One of their new singles released in December 2024 ‘The Spell Of The Skull’ was played for the crowd and it was really well received.
The interplay of the two guitarists, Simone Van Straten and Courtney Cox generated the melodies and the power riffs. Lala Frischknecht’s drums and Jay Grob on bass guitar underpinned the heart pounding rhythms and power behind the music as they pulled all of the sounds together and it sounded so good on this new track.
The last part of the set were tracks from ‘The Witch of the North’ album. Its title song, the fantastic ‘The Witch Of The North’ and ‘Lucid Nightmare’. They closed the set with the encore song ‘Burning Witches’.
The crowd was smaller than I expected and there were probably about 200 people in The Crowbar, but it actually gave the night and the performance an intimate atmosphere. It was a massive benefit, as it meant Burning Witches could really connect with the fans and build a stronger fan base. And, on the strength of Burning Witches performance from last night, we want them to return to Australia soon – they were so good!
Burning Witches delivered an amazing performance. If you get the chance to see them, I recommend it. It was amazing to see this band who fill stadiums in Europe at The Crowbar. If you want to feel like you are really part of the show, then seeing bands at venues like this are the best, instead of being one of thousands at a large venue.
Burning Witches, Asylum and Revenger put on a night of exciting and excellent power metal music.
