Burning Witches have confirmed that vocalist Laura Guldemond is leaving the Swiss heavy metal band after seven years. The departure is described as mutual and without bad feeling, and all announced concerts will go ahead as planned.
Four albums in seven years
Guldemond joined the band in 2019, taking over from Seraina Telli, and sang on four albums: “Dance with the Devil” (2020), “The Witch of the North” (2021), “The Dark Tower” (2023) and “Inquisition”, which came out on 22 August 2025 through Napalm Records. She has said she wants to focus on her own music and explore new creative paths, thanking her bandmates for the time they shared and wishing them well.
For the remaining shows at the end of the year, Jennifer Gruber, vocalist of the band Fireborn, will fill the position temporarily while Burning Witches look for a permanent singer.
Romana Kalkuhl’s band, eleven years on
The band was founded in Brugg, Aargau, in 2015 by rhythm guitarist Romana Kalkuhl, who had spent years looking for musicians for an all-female metal line-up. She had previously played with Atlas & Axis. The first cast came together with bassist Jeanine Grob, drummer Lala Frischknecht and singer Seraina Telli, and a self-titled demo was voted Demo of the Month by both Rock Hard and Metal Hammer. The debut album followed in 2017, “Hexenhammer” in 2018, and a deal with Nuclear Blast was announced on 14 February 2018.
A US tour with Danzig and a return to Rockharz
The news lands at the end of a busy year for the band. Burning Witches have just finished a US tour supporting Danzig, which they called the biggest and best run they have ever done, and played their largest headline show to date in Bogotá, Colombia. They have also confirmed a return to Rockharz Festival in 2027.
Guldemond’s last appearances with the band came during that US run, which she missed at the start while waiting for a visa before rejoining the tour in Nashville.
