Whether they’re covering Billy Idol‘s “White Wedding,” blasting a sax and trumpet at the end of the ultra-swinging “The Fool” or telling you to “Scream Bloody Murder” in the night, Margarita Witch Cult have stepped up their game with their sophomore LP, Strung Out in Hell. Set to release on July 18 through Heavy Psych Sounds, it is the follow-up to the Birmingham, England, trio’s lauded 2023 self-titled debut (review here), with a sharp-cutting nine songs across 37 minutes of raw garage doom, proto-metal, scummer rock, and whatever brand of dirt-coated blowout “Conqueror Worm” is on offer for willing heads, truants, drunkards and general reprobates.

I’ll spare you a deep-dive because the record’s not out for a month and a half, but I got asked last-minute-style to host the premiere of “Scream Bloody Murder” as the lead track from the record and there are a couple things you should know going in. First of all, oof, that’s catchy. The debut wasn’t shy about an Uncle Acid influence, and part of that is represented here by a push into a nastier sound generally. There’s still melody, as “Scream Bloody Murder” demonstrates, but there’s a harsh streak in Margarita Witch Cult beyond the violence of the lyrics that Strung Out in Hell uses to make a central part of its impression.

But only part. As biting as “Dig Your Way Out” is and as much as “Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm” wraps with its own harsher moments, “Witches Candle” sounds like early Nebula tripping on occult biker magazine covers from 1968, the “White Wedding” cover — which is the side A finale and centerpiece of the tracklisting — is rougher than the original of course but fairly reverent, and “Mars Rover” touches on classic turn-of-the-century stoner rock with a fuzzy shove that can’t be faked. Strung Out in Hell presents itself as barebones, tapping into something ancient in metal, and the budget iconography of its rad-as-hell cover art referencing the songs bears that out (note the screaming cyclops skull; that’s for “Scream Bloody Murder”), but all is not as simple as it first appears and there is sonic range taking hold in their sound. Whether you hear that in “The Fool” or pointedly ’70s opener “Crawl Home to Your Coffin” will ultimately be up to you, but it’s there to be heard.

Volatility is a crucial element, but don’t expect outright chaos going into either “Scream Bloody Murder” or the LP it’s representing as the first single. Margarita Witch Cult send a clear message that the first album wasn’t a fluke and that they’re willing to chase their darker impulses in craft wherever they may lead. So be it, screaming bloody murder in the night.

PR wire info follows. Please enjoy:

Margarita Witch Cult, “Scream Bloody Murder” track premiere

Margarita Witch Cult on “Scream Bloody Murder”:

“‘Scream Bloody Murder’ is an irresistible slice of classic heavy metal- an unapologetically melodious anthem for the damned that worms its way into the cerebral cortex and takes up permanent residency- just like the night terrors it depicts. Shock rock for the wretched soul- equal parts stadium-size banger and soundtrack for the dingiest dive-bar- it perfectly captures the essence of Margarita Witch Cult’s bombastic unrepentant sophomore album.”

Birmingham, UK’s doom rock torchbearers MARGARITA WITCH CULT are set to return with a bang this summer, with their sophomore album “Strung Out In Hell” to be issued on July 18th through Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

ALBUM PRESALE: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS360

USA PRESALE: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop-usa.htm

TRACKLIST
SIDE A
Crawl Home To Your Coffin – 4:07
Scream Bloody Murder – 3:41
Conqueror Worm – 4:21
Witches Candle – 2:38
White Wedding – 4:45
SIDE B
Mars Rover – 4:53
Dig Your Way Out – 2:27
The Fool – 3:24
Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm – 6:46

CREDITS
Recorded & Mixed by Mark Gittins at Megatone Studio, Birmingham, UK
Mastered by Scott Middleton at High Wattage Cottage, Ontario, Canada
Producer – @mark_gittins_sound / @megatonerecordingstudio
Artwork by Dirt Wizard.
All songs Copyright Margarita Witch Cult 2025 except Track 5.

Guest Performers
Alicia Gardener-Trejo – Baritone Sax on ‘The Fool’
Sam Wooster – Trumpet on ‘The Fool’

Writing Credits
All songs written by Scott Abbott except:
Track 3 – Conqueror Worm – James Brown / Scott Abbott
Track 5 – White Wedding – Billy Idol
Track 7 – Dig Your Way Out – James Brown / Scott Abbott

MARGARITA WITCH CULT is:
Scott Abbott – Vocals & Guitars
James Brown – Bass, Vocals, Synth, Mellotron, Guitars
George Caswell – Drums & Vocals

https://www.facebook.com/margaritawitchcult
https://www.instagram.com/margaritawitchcult/
https://margaritawitchcult.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/margaritawitchcult

https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
https://instagram.com/heavypsychsounds_records/
https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/
http://www.heavypsychsounds.com/

Margarita Witch Cult, Margarita Witch Cult (2023)

Tags: Birmingham, Heavy Psych Sounds, Margarita Witch Cult, Margarita Witch Cult Strung Out in Hell, Strung Out in Hell, UK

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2025 at 7:26 am and is filed under audiObelisk, Whathaveyou. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.