“The Night of Witches and Kings”: Burning Witches and Hammer King in Murcia
On February 12, 2026, Garaje Beat Club in Murcia turned into a stronghold of classic heavy metal for one night. The joint concert by Burning Witches and Hammer King attracted an audience that was not looking for passing trends, but for a proven formula: heavy riffs, loud choruses, and uncompromising stage energy.
Hammer King opened the evening. The German band immediately opted for a straightforward approach, without lengthy introductions or artificial attempts to “warm up” the crowd. According to reviews in the Spanish music press, that confidence proved to be their greatest strength. Their set sounded like a blend of traditional power metal and old-school heavy metal: marching rhythms, memorable choruses, and deliberately theatrical stage presence. Critics especially noted that the band never felt overshadowed as an opening act and managed to hold the audience’s attention throughout the entire performance.
The main event of the night, however, was Burning Witches. The tour supporting the album Inquisition presented the band in a darker and heavier form compared to their earlier releases. In reviews published after the concert, journalists repeatedly emphasized that the new material sounded significantly more aggressive live, with denser guitar tones and a stronger emphasis on the rhythm section.
Critics also highlighted Laura Guldemond’s vocals. Without relying on excessive theatricality, she kept the audience engaged through the sheer power of her delivery and her confident interaction with the crowd. Burning Witches also avoided turning the concert into a production overloaded with visual effects. The main focus remained on the music itself — and judging by the audience’s reaction, that proved more than enough.
For Garaje Beat Club, this type of concert was almost an ideal fit. The intimate setting strengthened the connection between the stage and the audience: fans stood just a few meters away from the musicians, and the atmosphere felt closer to old European metal clubs than to a large festival performance.
Based on the published reviews, the Murcia concert became one of the strongest shows of the Spanish leg of the tour. Without trying to reinvent the genre, Burning Witches and Hammer King delivered exactly what their audience expects from them: loud, honest, and deeply traditional heavy metal performed in the setting where it works best — the club stage.
