Manning Bar became a cauldron of thunder and leather on Thursday night as Swiss power metal force Burning Witches stormed Sydney for the first time ever.
With torrential rain flooding the city streets, it would’ve been easy to stay home, but nothing short of a natural disaster was going to stop the Burning Witches crowd from witnessing one of Europe’s fiercest metal exports conjure their magic live.
The five-piece lit the fuse with Unleash the Beast and Wings of Steel, igniting the room with ripping dual guitars, double kicks, and vocalist Laura Guldemond’s hell-raising banshee wail. The energy from the stage was electric – commanding and fierce – and the crowd met it head-on with fists raised high and heads banging in unison.
From the anthemic power of Maiden of Steel to the mythic crush of Nine Worlds and The Dark Tower, the setlist hit like an incantation, each song casting its own shadow.
The bar was alive with pure, old-school metal chaos, punctuated by searing solos from Courtney Cox and heavy, driving rhythm from Romana Kalkuhl, Jeanine Grob, and Lala Frischknecht. Black Widow and Hexenhammer turned the pit into a storm, while The Witch of the North reminded everyone why this band has become a leading voice in the new wave of metal.
Even the encore felt like a final battle cry – Lucid Nightmare and Burning Witches bringing the night to a boiling finish as the rain outside hammered the roof like drums of war.
Sydney showed up in full force, and so did Burning Witches.
Check out the full gallery below, with photos by Sandra Welch.
Burning Witches at Manning Bar Gallery
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