Israel-based Witchlake combine big riffs and melodies with contrasting vocals and folk elements in an enthralling sound that they describe as “melodic, groovy and folk-influenced.”
The Haifa band is formed of musicians originally from Russia, who met after moving to Israel and quickly bonded over their shared love for heavy music. Leading the way is Alexey, the band’s founder and main creative force, drummer Daniil, bassist Slava and the youngest but, according to the band, undoubtedly the most charismatic member is vocalist Margo, whose presence and voice define the band’s identity. While the band is very much at the beginning of their journey, Witchlake is building momentum as they explore their direction within heavy music.
As Alexey explains: “I’d describe the Witchlake sound as melodic, groove-driven metal with a bit of a dark, atmospheric edge. We like combining heavy riffs with strong melodies and powerful female vocals, so there’s both weight and emotion in the songs. There’s also a slight folk or cinematic feel in some parts, especially in the mood and storytelling.
“We’re not trying to stick to one strict subgenre. Each song can lean a bit in a different direction, but the core is always the same: groove, melody and a strong lyrical atmosphere.”
Our latest taste of this is their second single Coward, which was released at the end of last month. It opens up with a big chunky riff over a delicious little scream, which continues alongside powerful drums. That flows into a verse led by Margo’s distinctively intense vocals supported by driving guitars and drums, which feeds into a dark chorus. An instrumental section bridges into another intense verse, which picks up pace before leading into a chorus, with Margo’s vocals answered by cleaner retorts. A darting guitar takes over, dropping into chugging guitar chords, big cymbals and rolling drums, continuing into gruff vocals setting up a final blast of the chorus that ends with repeats of “Or will I die.”
Speaking ahead of its release, Alexey told us: “We’re really excited to release Coward. For us, it feels like a big step forward. It’s a heavier and more emotional track than our first single, with a strong groove and a darker mood. The song is about inner conflict – fear, shame and that moment when you have to stop running and face yourself.
“The idea actually came partly from playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance. We were really into its atmosphere — the medieval setting, the sense of honor and weakness, very human struggles. That mood stuck with us and eventually turned into this song. At the same time, this track shows only one side of Witchlake. Some of the next songs might feel a bit different and focus more on storytelling. We like writing songs almost like small dark tales, where the lyrics matter just as much as the riffs.”
That follows on from the band’s debut single Shaman of the North, which opens up with a cool little guitar lick over atmospheric noises. Margo’s intense vocals take over alongside chugging guitars and a funky stabbing riff, flowing into a chorus of wild vocals over a cool riff. A funky little folky section comes in to tee up a heavy conclusion, ending with a big final chorus.
On what inspires their music, Alexey told us: “Films, video games, or simply fantasy stories that appear in our heads are a big source of inspiration for us. Sometimes a song starts from a character, a scene or just a certain mood we imagine. We like building tracks, almost like small stories or dark tales, where the listener can picture what’s happening.
“Lyrically, we’re often drawn to themes like inner conflict, difficult choices, fear, honour and personal struggles. Even when the setting feels fictional or medieval, the emotions behind it are very human.”
Witchlake are only the fourth band we’ve interviewed from Israel, and first in a while, so we asked them about their adopted music scene. ” To be honest, we’re still getting to know the local scene. We haven’t been in Israel for that long, so we’re only starting to explore it properly. But from what we’ve seen so far, the rock and metal scene here definitely exists and feels quite strong and active.
There are bands like Her Last Sigh, The Fading and Walkways that are doing really well and show that heavy music from Israel can reach an international audience. That’s inspiring to see. As for support, we’re not really expecting too much help — we’re used to doing things the DIY way and figuring everything out ourselves. That said, if someone wants to support us, book us, or just spread the word, we’re definitely not going to say no.”
Witchlake have a busy year in store, starting with working on two new songs that are already in progress, will show different sides of the band and lean even more into storytelling and atmosphere. They also hope to play more live shows and become more active in their local music scene, while releasing new music.
And Alexey added: “We’re still a young band, but we take what we do seriously and put a lot of heart into our music. Witchlake is very much about atmosphere, stories and emotion, and we’re only at the beginning of exploring where this can go. If someone connects with our songs — whether it’s the riffs, the mood or the lyrics — that already means a lot to us. And we’re just getting started, so there’s definitely more music and more stories coming soon.
You can follow Witchlake on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and YouTube.
Listen to Witchlake and more new metal on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Core and GigRadar Metal
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