WITCH CROSS are among those bands that initially lasted only a comparatively short time but nonetheless managed to leave a lasting impression – at least with the underground fans. The band from Denmark made its first appearance under its current name in 1982 and realeased a single album called „Fit For Fight“ two years later, which to this is regarded as an ealry milestone for the Danish scene by many fans. After another two years the group disbanded and it took WITCH CROSS until 2011 to send out another sign of life. Now there second post-reunion record „Angel Of Death“ is being released, which is why we spoke to guitarist and founding member Mike Koch.
Hi Mike and thanks for this interview! WITCH CROSS reunited in 2011, 25 years after they disbanded in 1986. What’s it like to bring a band back after two and a half decades? Are many of your fans from back in the day still around?
When we first got back together there were a lot of chaos and confusion and we didn’t really know how people would react to us playing live again after so many years. We were down to 3 original members and a new singer and a new guitarist. We had only 1 Rehearsal with the new line up before the first show at KIT in 2012. The show was great with people singing along and the atmosphere was amazing. After the show we got to meet people and we realised this was a new audience and maybe just a handful of people that had been around in the 80s. So after KIT we knew we had to carry on playing live.
Eight years have passed since the release of your last album „Axe To Grind“. That is quite a long time. What has been happening for WITCH CROSS since?
It took a long time for us to finish the new album so first Paul had a nasty accident so he couldn’t walk for a long and other family matter came in the way. Also we have a new drummer in the band now so we wanted to make sure he was settled in before we booked the studio. Then of course the shit storm with covid. And what people don’t realise is that the band is spread over 4 different countries and rehearsing and recording together is very difficult to say the least. But we are lucky to have great help from a lot of amazing people. But we have now found a good way to move forward with new music and the album after this won’t be as much of a struggle.
With „Angel Of Death“ your new album will be released in June. What can you tell us about the record?
We are very proud of this new album and hope that people will like it as it’s very different to Fit for Fight. It’s a lot darker and heavier than our previous albums but we as a band feel that’s the way forward.
Where do you see differences – or similarities – to your previous effort?
As I said this album is darker and heavier and also we have a new drummer so it rocks a bit more. Kev’s vocals work really well on this album and we have used more backing vocals and acoustic guitars. So this feel very different but maybe people will still hear the Witch Cross sound and style in there.
How did songwriting and recording for „Angel Of Death“ go down?
Same procedure as the previous album. I start sending rough demos around to the other members and the guys then work on them and send ideas and new songs back to me. I then build up the songs in London in my studio so we can record the drums and bass in Copenhagen. Then we add guitars and vocals in London and final edits before we send the album of to be mixed and mastered. So we are never all in the same studio during the process but it seems to work ok.
„Angel Of Death“ will be released through High Roller Records. What can you tell us about this collaboration?
We absolutely love working with High Roller Records. We have collaborated on a re-release of Fit for Fight and a demo compilation album (Fighting Back) and also our previous studio album Axe to Grind will be re-release on High Rollers. So we are happy to work with them on this album as we know we are in good hands.
With Jesper Haugaard, you recruited a new drummer in 2016. How did that come to pass?
We needed new blood in the band and the old drummer was very busy with work so we audition some people and picked Jesper. We can feel a big difference specially on the new album where he is in top form.
WITCH CROSS were already part of the metal scene during its prime in the 80s. What’s your opinion of today’s scene?
Today’s scene must be tuff for new band with bands like us getting a lot of attention. But some new bands are doing really well which is great. We have played more counties and gigs than the original band did in the 80s so we are not complaining and playing live that’s what drives us really.
The COVID-19 pandemic affects all areas of life but it seems that touring bands and live venues are hit particularly hard. How do you cope with this situation after more than a year?
Well we just push back the release of the album and took our time with artwork and mixing/mastering. Also we are writing new songs so we are ready for the next step. We managed to put a video together for Phoenix Fire which was a lot of fun to do. So hopefully next year we can get back out touring.
Right now this still seems out of the question but are you already making touring plans for when we get back to some kind of normal? Any chance to see WITCH CROSS in Germany?
We will play Germany next year for sure. 2022 will be the year when we tour again. We will try to do a few show later this year but so many bands are looking to play so it’s hard to get available clubs and venues.
Lastly, let’s do a bit of brainstorming! What’s the first tihing that comes to your mind regarding the following terms?
Old School: better than new School
Summer Festivals: muskel rock and metal Magic.
Lockdown: Depressing but good for inspiration.
Fit For Fight: the good ol‘ days
Angel Witch: my favourite nwobhm band
WITCH CROSS in ten years: 3 sold out nights at Madison Square Garden supported by Iron Maiden
Once again thank you for your time. Would you like to say a few closing words to our readers?
Thanks for doing this interview. We love keeping in contact with people and can’t wait to make some more metal friends in 2022.
14. Februar 2023 Thomas Meyns
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