The opening song here, “Crawl Home To Your Coffin,” welcomes itself with a doomy, occult riff. And Margarita Witch Cult are from Birmingham. I know what you’re thinking.
And, to be fair, you’re not far wrong.
Last autumn, the trio opened for the mighty Monster Magnet. My review of that night said: “That’s Margarita Witch Cult, nailed. Riff after riff, The Wildhearts once said. They could have been talking about these boys.”
This is album number two—and as they hinted that night with the songs they played (not least of which was “…Coffin”)—it’s a cracker.
Another from that night, “Scream Bloody Murder,” has a guitar tone as thick as molasses, and it’s a compliment to suggest it doesn’t sound like it came out in 2025.
Some of these are a slow, nasty procession into who knows what. “Conqueror Worm” is one of those, and there’s more than a whiff of Cathedral about it.
Even the faster ones sound like they could summon Satan at the drop of a hat. But the increased energy of “Witches Candle” might have you reaching for your early Orange Goblin albums.
Metal covers of chart hits usually suck. This version of “White Wedding” is the exception that proves the rule, if we’re honest—not least because it sounds utterly debauched.
There’s never been a record like this that wasn’t obsessed with space travel. Or vastness, at least. “Mars Rover” has that covered. “Dig Your Way Out” is perhaps the heaviest offering on this buffet, with Scott Abbott singing in a much harsher way than he had been up to now, and “The Fool” sounds like an acid casualty from the ’60s.
There was always going to be a big psych affair on this. They leave it until last, with “Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm?”—and it’s enough to give you nightmares.
This week of all weeks, it feels like if you live in Birmingham (and MV is based just outside), you should be proud and loud.
The sound that was invented just up the road hangs thick in the air here, and Strung Out In Hell is Margarita Witch Cult breathing in a lungful of the magic.
Rating: 8.5/10
