Toronto Falls Under the Spell of Burning Witches
- jaybroderick
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
By: Jay Broderick
Toronto, Canada - Another night, another Garrison show, and honestly, I’m not complaining. I’m loving this venue more with every visit, even with the lack of a photo pit. But as a fan, it gets you as close as you possibly can get, and as a photojournalist, it allows close interaction with the fans. As Toronto finally shakes off the last of its winter hibernation, the streets are buzzing again... people are out and about, and a healthy line of Burning Witches fans already forming well before the 7:30 doors. Metalheads know how to show up early.
While we waited, a few of us struck up a conversation about the local metal scene and the rags that cover it (like us!). The metal community, at least here in Toronto, is just built different, warm, funny, passionate. We even finally met Jojo Taylor of Blast Toronto, who’s contributed to LOUDTO before. Great dude, great vibes.
Inside, the conversations kept rolling. I ran into an old work colleague from 1990... someone I knew mostly because of his family, and the fact that his father trained me in my first full‑time job. He didn’t quite remember me, and I think I blew his mind with the conversation that followed. Maybe even freaked him out a little. Sorry, Rick. But damn, it was awesome running into you.
AMMO
Toronto’s own AMMO kicked things off. They are a band that’s been around since 2014 and still feels like a hidden gem. Their set had some early technical difficulties after their opening 2 tracks "Mortis Rex" and "Far From Here", but they handled it like pros. A guitar solo, then a bass solo, then finally a cable swap and they were back in business. “This is a song about werewolves for some reason,” vocalist Brett Williams joked, and honestly, that alone won me over as the band howled into their 3rd track "Street Metal Werewolves".
A fan had even flown in from Newfoundland to see them... now that’s dedication! And when a woman in the crowd yelled “GOOD!” after they announced two songs left, the singer shot back, “GOOD??? Well maybe we’ll just do one more…” For the record: I disagree. I wanted more than the two, as the band's style of metal, harkening back to the glory days, was a throwback to thrash bands like Overkill, early Megadeth and even a bit of power metal like Helloween. Tight, fast, and a ton of fun!
Their closing track “Too Metal for Metal” had the crowd belting the lyrics like a choir of denim and leather. A killer opener!!
AMMO Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
Thunderor
More Toronto metalheads, and another band proving this city’s scene is stacked. Thunderor is a three‑piece — YES!! — and then suddenly… a kilted violinist walks onstage to set up her strings, preparing for the showcase to come later. YES AGAIN!!!
Drummer JJ Tartaglia handles lead vocals, which immediately gave me Exciter vibes. Their sound is classic 80s metal... fast, clean, and full of adrenaline. Ahead of the band's third track, Tartaglia shared a story about playing a show in Germany in 2018 with a then‑up‑and‑coming band called Burning Witches. Full circle moment achieved, and the band rolls into "Pump up the Volume", a track that was released a mere 5 months ago... and then I noticed lead guitarist Jonny Nesta's Zero Tolerance Thrash shirt... the man clearly knows Toronto metal!
And then came Zoe, the guest fiddler, for “Cape Breton Home.” As a Maritimer‑adjacent Canadian, I’m biased… but THIS... This was the moment! Something that just gets me to my soul.
The whole set had me thinking of Airbourne by the end... high‑energy, no‑nonsense, pure rock power.
Thunderor Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
BURNING WITCHES
The all‑female Swiss metal powerhouse formed in 2015, and yes, I’ll say it plainly... these women are smokin'.... But here’s the thing that matters more than anything else: The second they hit the stage, it becomes obvious they’re here because they can kick ass and shred with the absolute best of them!
The intro to the band's latest album Inquisition "Sanguini Hominum" is heard through the venue as the quintet arrives on stage... then, the double bass drum kicks in... OHHHHH, THE GOOD OLD DOUBLE BASS DRUM... as they kick into opening track "Soul Eater", again from their most recent album... and suddenly, the room is theirs!
Despite the small stage, the band never stops moving as they roll through their opening songs. Guitarist Romana Kalkuhl gives me total Sean Yseult energy (White Zombie's legendary female bassist, who in my opinion is the benchmark), and vocalist Laura Guldemond emerges wearing a masquerade‑style devil mask, immediately commanding the room. Ex-The Iron Maiden's guitarist Courtney Cox, and bassist Jeanine "Jay" Grob (great name!!) fill out the front row, head banging non-stop, and drummer Lala Frischknecht rounds out the group, keeping the beat driving in the back.
The band's first interaction with the crowd is warm, grateful, and genuinely excited as Guldemond shares that it’s their first time in Toronto, and by the fourth track "Maiden of Steel". The singer’s range is massive. Clean highs, gritty growls, full‑throated power. Every time she pushed into that grit, the room erupted. The crowd is fully locked in, fists up, and voices loud as they audibly share their excitement and approval for the early performance on the stage.
Mid‑set, they paused for a quick drink and sweat wipe before launching into “Inquisition”, the title track from the band's 6th full length release. During the chorus, Guldemond held the mic out and the crowd roared it back as the band continued to raise the roof. And then the band's front lady teased the next song. “We have a ballad too. Do you want to hear a ballad?” The cheers said everything, and then, lighters! Actual lighters, as the band brought the intense heat down a little. They swayed arms side to side... the crowd followed suit, and for a moment it felt like the 1980s again, when every metal album had that one emotional track. A lost art, beautifully revived.
“Toronto! You’re pretty loud today!” the singer shouted, before launching into a “HEY HEY HEY” call‑and‑response battle between sides of the room. Stage left (our right) absolutely destroyed the competition, and the band tore into “Black Widow.”
Then came the storm, like any great heavy metal soundscape: thunder, rumbling, screams, red light washing the stage as "The Witch Circle" unsettlingly set the scene for “Hexenhammer”. The track hit like a hammer indeed, as the fans joined the band again, chanting out the chorus.
What a performance by these heavy metal vixens. “Cheers to you, Toronto! First time in Canada!” they yell out again as they toast "The Big Smoke" crowd with shots of some elixir brought out by a stage hand. A fan yelled “WELCOME TO CANADA!” and the singer laughed, asking if we wanted one more song. Of course we did! The band exploded into "The Witch of the North", and then eventually closed with their title track, “Burning Witches,” and it was the perfect finale — heavy, tight, and triumphant.
Set List
Soul Eater
Shame
Dance With the Devil
Maiden of Steel
The Dark Tower
Sea of Lies
Inquisition
Release Me
Black Widow
Evil Witch
Lucid Nightmare
Hexenhammer
Wings of Steel
The Witch of the North
Burning Witches
Women are kicking ass in heavy music right now... Guitarist Nita Strauss, vocalist Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox and countless others... and now Burning Witches have planted themselves as one of the front runners... FIRE!!!
What a show. What a night. And absolutely another contender for my top shows of 2026.
Burning Witches Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
Burning Witches Online
Show Date: April 23, 2026
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