Burning Witches provided an amazing pre holiday show for the loyal fans here in the valley

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Burning Witches concert at The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife, Glendale, AZ on November 3rd, 2024

Review and Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Venue: The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife (https://the-44-sports-grill-nightlife.business.site/ )
Date:  November 3rd, 2024
Tour: The Dark World Tour 2024

Sorry for the lateness of this review, but here goes.

It was a great night of metal music at the 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife venue.  It started off with one of my favorite local metal bands, Empire of Dezire.  It then transitioned into another local punk metal band, Element A440.  Finally, we got the 2 touring bands.  Grave Shadow is Symphonic Metal band from Sacramento, California.  And finally, the headliner that everyone was here to see, the Burning Witches.

Empire Of Dezire concert at The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife, Glendale, AZ on November 3rd, 2024

Empire of Dezire is a heavy metal band fronted by husband-and-wife team, Ken and Tulin Howey.  They are also a 2-guitar band with Ken and fellow guitarist Jeremy Dasher.  Ken is usually the lead guitarist, but at times trades off with Jeremy.  Together they are a guitar force the likes of Judas Priest.  Tulin is the lead singer and from her small frame produces a thunderous sound that fills the venue.  They are joined by Neal Harris on bass and drummer Brett McKinney.  Together they are one of the premier power metal bands here in the greater Phoenix area.

Element A440 concert at The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife, Glendale, AZ on November 3rd, 2024

This was the first time I have seen Element A440.  They are a punk metal band that reminded me a lot of the early days of the Sex Pistols.  However, they are better musicians.  Their stage persona is pure punk with their outlandish jesters and outfits.  Like most 80s punk bands, they really don’t care what the audience thinks, they are there to entertain and do their own thing.  I was never really into the punk scene (except for the Ramones) but the fans seemed to really get into the band.

Grave Shadow concert at The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife, Glendale, AZ on November 3rd, 2024

The last leadup band was Grave Shadow.  It was the first time seeing them and I really enjoyed their performance and music.  I think their style of music would fit better with bands like Unleash The Archers or Visions of Atlantis.  But unfortunately, tonight was their last show of this tour with Burning Witches.  They are fronted by the very talented lead singer, Rachi “Raxx” Quinn.  I was very impressed by both their performance and music and would love to see them again.  Hopefully they will return to the valley and you can get a chance to see this very good band.

Burning Witches concert at The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife, Glendale, AZ on November 3rd, 2024

Finally, the headliner Burning Witches took the stage.  Burning Witches is a Swiss heavy/power metal band, founded by rhythm guitarist Romana Kalkuhl, based in Brugg, Aargau.  The current members are Romana Kalkukl on rhythm guitar, lead singer Laura Guldemond, bassist Jay Grob and drummer Lala Frischknecht.  In 2023 they added lead guitarist Courtney Cox (CCShred).

This was the second time I have seen Burning Witches.  Both shows were at the 44 which is a small local bar/concert venue.  There were probably about 300 people there that night so it made for a very intimate atmosphere.  As a massive benefit, during the other bands performances. Members of the Burning Witches came out from the green room to mingle with the crowd and all of them came out to meet us after the show.  I really like that bands do this because it allows the fans to meet them and builds a stronger fan base.  It also helps with merchandise sales when the band is there.

Burning Witches concert at The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife, Glendale, AZ on November 3rd, 2024

Prior to their performance, I saw Laura in the crowd and when I said hello, yes raised a sign indicating see was saving here voice for the performance.  After having recovered from the flu I completely understood.  But when she finally got on stage, she unleashed her thunderous voice as she belted out the first song, “Unleash the Beast”.  Her voice held throughout the set and it was spectacular.

Burning Witches concert at The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife, Glendale, AZ on November 3rd, 2024

I really love the interplay of the 2 guitarist, Romana and Courtney.  I really believe to be a great power metal band, you at need at least 2 guitarists.  And Romana and Courtney generated the melody and power riffs that make Burning Witches a force in the Power Metal community.  It was great to seeing Courtney laying down the power fifes that gave her the stage name, CCShred.  Romana likewise controlled the music by providing the rhythm that pulled all of the sounds together.

Burning Witches concert at The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife, Glendale, AZ on November 3rd, 2024
Burning Witches concert at The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife, Glendale, AZ on November 3rd, 2024

Not to be forgotten are Lala on drums and Jay of bass guitar.  They provided the heart pounding rhythm and power behind all of the music.  Lara can be a real beast behind the kit providing the high-octane rhythm while Jay floats around the stage delivering the commanding baseline, together they provide the sound that moves your soul.

The majority of their songs were from 2 of their great albums, The Dark Tower and Dance With the Devil.  These are amazing albums and I recommend you listen to them both.  The setlist below indicates which songs were performed from each album.  They ended their performance with the classic rock song by Dio, “Holy Diver”.  I can say that they did Dio proud.

I have seen Burning Witches perform in front of massive crowds (on YouTube and their website), but I really believe that they are at their best in front of smaller audiences where they can interact with their fans.  Also being the headliner offers them the freedom to do a longer set and introduce their fans to more of their outstanding music.  Will I go see Burning Witches again, YES in a heartbeat.  They provided an amazing show and the musicians are extremely talented.  If you get the chance to see them, I very highly recommend it.  So, I hope to see all of you there at the next show here in the Phoenix area.

Special note: It is great to be able to see these amazing groups at these small venues.  If you want to feel like you are really part of the show, then seeing bands at small venues are the best, instead of being one of thousands at a large venue.  You also have the possibility to meet the members of the band and possibly get items you purchased signed.  A friend of mine purchased Burning Witches’s latest album and got all of the members to sign it.

As for the 44 Sports Grill and Nightlife venue, it is one of the best small venues in the valley (IMO).  It is located on Peoria Avenue just 3 miles west of the I17.  It has a state-of-the-art sound system and a great lighting system.  The other nice feature is the large stage.  Most small venues have a small stage that sits only about a foot above the floor.  This stage is about 2.5 feet high and also has a lot of head space to the ceiling.  The other amazing feature of the 44, is they have outstanding food at a very reasonable price.

Below are the social media sites for each of the bands.  You can follow them and see if they are coming to a city near you.  You can also check out their music and videos.

Burning Witches Social Media sites:
Website: https://www.burningwitches.ch/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/burningwitches666/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burningwitchesofficial/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2RqSuKGtOVj9mQyeWglQQw
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@burningwitches1
Record Label: https://label.napalmrecords.com/

Empire Of Dezire Social Media sites:
Website: https://eodproject.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empireofdezire/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empire_of_dezire/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TulinHowey

Element A440 Social Media sites:
Website: https://www.elementa440.com/index.shtml
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elementa440.music
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ELEMENTa440

Grave Shadow Social Media sites:
Website: https://www.bandmix.com/graveshadow539952/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Graveshadow/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graveshadow/



Burning Witches

Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2024, All Rights Reserved


Empire Of Dezire

Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2024, All Rights Reserved


Element A440

Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2024, All Rights Reserved


Grave Shadow

Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2024, All Rights Reserved



Burning Witches Setlist:                   (Album)
Unleash the Beast                               (The Dark Tower)
Wings of Steel                                     (Dance With the Devil)
Sea of Lies                                          (Dance With the Devil)
Dance With the Devil                         (Dance With the Devil)
We Stand as One                                 (The Witch of the North)
Lucid Nightmare                                 (Dance With the Devil)
Evil Witch                                           (The Dark Tower)
The Dark Tower                                  (The Dark Tower)
Necronomicon                                     (Dance With the Devil)
Hexenhammer                                     (Hexenhammer)
Flight of the Valkyries                         (The Witch of the North)
Burning Witches                                  (Burning Witches)
Holy Diver                                          (Dio cover)