Burning Witches are currently on their European ‘Witches and Kings’ tour. After kicking off the tour in Milan, they played at MystericA’s New Year’s Bash Vol. 3 as the headline act, before turning their attention to Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Belgium and France. Now, Burning Witches are back on German soil. Tonight, they will be performing at Kammgarn in Kaiserslautern. The show sold out, so it was moved from the Cotton Club to the larger Casino to accommodate more metalheads, and even this larger venue was very crowded.
Home Game
One reason for this might certainly be that Hammer King, the support band on this tour, is from Kaiserslautern, so I expected to see many of their supporters in the audience, and the crowd proved me right. For many of them, it was like a family reunion; almost everyone in the audience seemed to have gone to school with one of the Hammer King members.
Merch Queen and Witch
Apart from that, it is nice to meet the merch queen, Tia Wicked, and the merch witch, Ilaria, again, and chat with them during their less busy times. She has support with her at the merchandise stand, so Tia could focus more on her role as assistant during the show, which is lovely to watch.
The local King – Hammer King
Now, let’s watch the support band Hammer King, who are playing a home game concert tonight. Before the show, I asked myself if there had been any changes since their gig at Event Airport Obertraubling a few weeks ago, when they opened for MystericA’s New Year’s Bash Vol. 3, and the answer is yes! Not in terms of the setlist, which opens with ‘King for a Day’ and closed with ‘Kingdom of the Hammer King’, if I remember correctly, but the small details and interactions make the difference. Tia’s stage presence is, of course, the most prominent, but you can see, feel and experience that this is their home gig! After the show, they spend hours with their fans and friends without taking a break.
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Changes
After the Hammer King set, the stage is changed fairly quickly, so most of the audience barely has time to shake hands with the band, take a photo, get some fresh air, smoke outside, buy merchandise or visit the restrooms.
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Witch Time Again – Burning Witches
The lights dimm again, and with the intro of ‘Inquisition’, it is time for Burning Witches again. The setlist ranges from ‘Soul Eater’ to the obvious encore and closer, ‘Burning Witches’. In between, we enjoy a splendid selection of new and old songs.
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The guitar Heroes
As usual, it is a pleasure to listen to both guitarists, Courtney and Romana; they play with such precision and accuracy that they might as well be twins! In my opinion, they are one of the top five metal guitar duos for good reason! Incidentally, Romana’s long and curly hair would make even Dee Snider of Twisted Sister proud and jealous!
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Drums ‘n’ bass back bone
But don’t forget Burning Witches‘ formidable rhythm section: Jay on bass and Lala on drums. They form the backbone of Burning Witches‘ sound, working like a well-oiled machine — hard, energetic and powerful.
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Vocal Goddess
Nevertheless, these fantastic four are not afraid to give vocalist Laura the spotlight and attention she deserves. Her vocals are top-notch, even after the number of shows that Burning Witches have played since 9 January, when the tour started in Milan. If I’m right, they’ve only had one day off! day off in between! Laura must be very disciplined and do a lot of vocal exercises to maintain such a high standard for so long. She gets better and better with each album anyway. Whether she is the female Ronnie James Dio, Robert Halford or Bruce Dickinson is up to you. Whatever you decide, they are all at the top of their game.
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Stay or leave
After about 90 minutes, it was time for the final bow and photo, and to buy some merchandise before people leave. I have to drive for 75 minutes, so I don’t waste too much time and rush home. Others are luckier and remain until the merchandise stand and Ilaria got busy.
Harmony and Inclusion
The gig at Kammgarn was special. It was sold out, which shows how important a well-chosen support band can be. There was no disharmony, vanity or jealousy between the two bands, only respect. That’s how a tour should be: for the bands’ enjoyment and the audience’s entertainment. A mother and her daughter in a wheelchair catch my attention and I ask if I can take some pictures of them to demonstrate how well metal inclusion works — it’s pure joy and fun! So with your permission, these pictures are especially for you both!
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Once this tour is finished, Burning Witches will prepare for their North American tour, which was postponed last year.
Online:
Please buy merch and physical music or downloads from the bands official sources and don’t stream it for free because it steals your artists’ income.
All pics taken by friend.X aka Mr. Deep on 30th January 2026, Kammgarn Casino Kaiserslautern