MARGARITA WITCH CULT - Strung Out In Hell

Do you love Black Sabbath? Of course you do, and I’m pretty sure these guys do too.

I first heard Margerita Witch Cult at a hometown gig at The Castle and Falcon in Birmingham. Supporting Bat Sabbath (Cancer Bats tribute), it was genuinely one of my favourite gigs I’ve ever been to, and I’ve been hooked on these guys ever since.

Released on July 18th, this second offering from the Witch Cult has nine songs, the same as their first album, but with a bit more runtime at 37 minutes. The album artwork lets you know this album is gonna be fun. So let’s get into it.

First up, Crawl Home to Your Coffin is the echo you’ll have in your head after hearing this opening track. Filled with chops and changes and near-haunting vocals, this track sets up the tone of what’s to come.

Scream Bloody Murder, this song is so damn infectious! The opening riff, the build, the tone, the vocals, the drum fills cutting through, everything is killer about this track. I could have (and have had) this one on loop.

Next we have Conqueror Worm. Starting off with a very Iommi-feeling riff, this song has a slower tempo with a grittier, darker feel. Then it breaks, fades, and slows down, driven to the end by a beat/fill combo around the drumkit to finish.

Witches Candle instantly grabs your attention and shakes it about. Driving at a higher tempo, this track has proper old-school Rock 'n' Roll vibes. If Songs for the Dead and Never Say Die had a lovechild, this is it.

Next up, the Birmingham trio have done a cover of Billy Idol’s White Wedding and truly made it their own. This cover feels completely original, which probably doesn’t make sense, but listen to it and it will. It’s damn good.

Mars Rover is like a highlights reel of Sabbath vibes. Instrumental for nearly the first two minutes, it builds up into a proper groove from the bass and a driving beat, only slightly giving way to the haunting vocals that you can already picture a crowd singing back when this is played live. This one’s got it all, one of my favourite tracks on the album.

Opening with a drumbeat John Bonham would be proud of, Dig Your Way Out then takes a darker turn with doomy riffs and vocals nearly screaming, “I'm in a hole, I’m in a whole world of pain” throughout. At only 2:27, this one’s short but not sweet, it’s got bite.

Our next song, The Fool, has a completely different feel in the first half, with some amazing lines like, “It stops being funny when it stops being you.” It’s a tone that gets in your head. The second half has what I can only describe as a trumpet meltdown, put it on and you’ll know what I mean!

After the craziness of the unexpected trumpets, the final track, Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm starts off as a mellow instrumental before the doom kicks the door down. Slow and heavy with pained vocals, this song really makes you feel like you’re “Strung out in hell” (see what I did there?). A dark and doomy finish to a great second album from the band from Brum that are quickly building momentum.

If you saw the Back to the Beginning live stream (if not, why not?) you may have noticed these guys in it, and it’s no surprise why. A heavy influence from Sabbath is present in this band’s sound, but that’s in no way a bad thing. This trio has made it their own.

Overall, I really enjoyed this album. It’s good fun, not as many standout songs as the first album, but there’s some brilliant material on this record. Scream Bloody Murder, for example. Go out, buy it, stream it, see them live, get blown away, and as always, let us know what you think too!

Words by: Frank Iszard