Johanna Holt Kleive, drummer and vocalist of the Norwegian black metal band Witch Club Satan, has announced that she is leaving the group. Her last concert with the band is at Rockefeller in Oslo on Friday 30 October, following a show in Bodø on 28 October.
In her statement, Kleive said the band’s intense creative process and the aggressive nature of its artistic expression had become difficult to handle on a personal level, which led her to leave the line-up for an undetermined period. She stressed the importance of the project’s mission to give other women freedom and a platform for expression, but said that for her the current path had become too demanding.
Witch Club Satan will return with more details about the concerts already scheduled through December. Fans were encouraged to attend the last performances of the current line-up.
Three founders from theatre school
The band formed in early 2022, when the three founding members met at theatre school. Witch Club Satan released their self-titled debut album on 8 March 2024 through Lost and Found Productions, followed by the single “You Wildflower” on 23 June 2025.
The trio has described itself as feminist, and its music also addresses racism, environmentalism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Their live shows and music videos often include nudity, gore and occult symbols. The video for the single “Fresh Blood Fresh Pussy” was nominated for Music Video of the Year at the 2024 Spellemannprisen and won Best Bizarre at the 2025 Berlin Music Video Awards.
Nikoline Spjelkavik and Victoria Røising carry on
With Kleive’s departure, the remaining members are Nikoline Spjelkavik on guitar and vocals and Victoria Røising on bass and vocals. Both are founding members of the trio, which has been an all-female line-up since it started. The band has not said who, if anyone, will take over the drums, or whether the December shows will go ahead in a different form.
