REVIEW: Margarita Witch Cult - Strung Out In Hell

Birmingham thrash metal trio Margarita Witch Cult made waves with their 2023 debut, bringing their occult rock anthems to the masses in a ritualistic bloodbath of an offering with their eponymous album. They soon made rapid-fire appearances across the UK, touring with the likes of Cancer Bats, and Monster Magnet, spreading their darkness across the country and paving the way for their new release, Strung Out In Hell, an unholy collection of sin-filled tracks dragged up from the fiery depths.

We open with 'Crawl Home To Your Coffin', a track packed tight with an intense riff and bassline from Scott Abbott and Jim Thing, before George Casual's pounding drumbeat kicks in like a bloody heart beating beneath the floorboards. When the darkness-infused vocals hit our ears, it's beginning to feel like Halloween itself coming through the speakers.

'Scream Bloody Murder' follows, a track that surely belongs in the background of an Evil Dead film. As its name suggests, it screams bloody murder with its groovy bassline and spooky chorus, the soundtrack to a bloodsoaked demonic killing spree. 'Conqueror Worm' feels more deliberate and focused in its instrumentals, bolder and heavier, while ‘Witches Candle' brings the tempo up in what sounds like a tribute to Black Sabbath as its chorus hits. One of the shorter tracks in this release, it doesn't overstay its welcome.

The next track is an unexpected one. A thrash metal reimagining of 'White Wedding' by Billy Idol feels like a suggestion simply thrown out as a what-if during a late-night studio session. You might think it should have been left on paper, but when the band cut into their dark, grimy riffs, it all comes together perfectly. It's as if we're given a window into an alternate universe where Billy Idol worshipped the devil and channelled directly into his music.

'Mars Rover' follows and opens with a rolling drumbeat, the beats hitting in a repeated rhythm as the virtuosic lead guitar comes in. Soon, it's almost impossible to resist banging your head to this outcry of loneliness on the cold surface of Mars. After this comes 'Dig Your Way Out', one infused with a more psychedelic nature and a change in vocal style; in this track, Abbott screeches his way through the lyrics, tapping into satanic growls and yells as if he's painfully crawling up the fiery cliffs of hell itself. While Margarita Witch Cult have origins in this century, they could have fooled us; the next track, 'The Fool' feels like a confession that the band have travelled through time from the 70s and brought their music with them. It's a standout on this album, blending timeless jazz elements with psychedelic rock in a memorable concoction that's sure to stick with us.

'Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm' starts with a slow, minute-and-a-half build-up, but the wait is well worth it. This is the band's essence dialled up to eleven. The intense vocals from a few tracks ago return, and wailing guitars join the mix against the rhythmic clash of symbols. This one runs long, clocking in at just under seven minutes – perhaps to its detriment, as it begins to fall into the thralls of monotony. It's as if the song is a ritual in itself, and the chorus is an occult chant. Despite that, it's a solid closer, and its words linger in our minds after the album has long since ceased playing.

To wrap this all up, Strung Out in Hell is a worthy successor to Margarita Witch Cult's self-titled debut, taking everything that worked about it and tossing it into hellfire, roasting it over a fiery pit and infusing the very essence of darkness into it. It's the band at their best yet, and begs the question: have the band made a deal with Satan himself to guarantee the searing quality of their sound? If so, he's held up his side of the bargain.

Score: 8/10

Strung Out in Hell was released on July 18th 2025 via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Words: Naomi Colliar Duff

Photos: Margarita Witch Cult