Peter Thompson
Margarita Witch Cult are the latest in a long line of bands to emerge from the cradle of rock and metal in the UK and much like the iconic earlier sounds of Black Sabbath, they play a murky mix of proto-metal, doom and stoner style rock riffs. Driven by a wall of gratuitous fuzz, booming low end and plenty of groove, the band’s eponymous debut album was highly acclaimed, and they have received plenty of praise, racking up plenty of big shows and touring with the likes of Monster Magnet, a band who practically screams royalty in the stoner rock world. Anticipation was ripe for this second album, everything seemingly lining up and falling into place and here we have it, Strung Out In Hell.
The album consists of 9 tracks encompassing just under 40 minutes. It sounds like something which crawled out of the primordial metal sea near 50 years ago thanks to the clever composition work of the band, their ability to deliver their music convincingly and the gear and production used paying tribute to the heavyweights who paved the way for bands like them. The question though, is this; is it merely lip service tapping into nostalgia? After all, the album has been released within two weeks of Black Sabbath’s retirement and a lot of the PR regarding it has mentioned that this band are ‘the heirs to Sabbath city’.
It might appear rather cynical to just pin Margarita Witch Cult, their PR team and the record label as opportunists; hype them up for delivering a sound heavily inspired by the iconic early Sabbath sound of 1971-1973, performed on gear which creates sounds inspired by the sounds of the legendary albums in this era, and hell, if any sane person was in their right mind, they would do this. They would seize the opportunity, ride the wave of momentum and drop something which calls back to an iconic sound and a longed-for era of music, and as stated before, early feedback suggests this has been successful.
But why? Initially, this album doesn’t do that much to get your attention. ‘Crawl Home to Your Coffin’ opens up with a lumbering, low-end heavy stompin’ groove, the kind which forms the spine of any half-decent retro-rock/proto-metal/stoner style banger. It has that infectious rhythmic hook which will have heads nodding, its a good opening number and it does its job in getting you hooked, but honestly, it’s not that memorable.
“Scream Bloody Murder” which follows has a bit more bite to it. It has that spark which makes your eyes open just that little wider, and it has that simple chug and descending riff motif which lets the vocals ride it like a wave. It’s simple, straight forward and damn catchy, rocking out and showing just what MWC can cook up when they need to put their foot down a little more. ‘Conqueror Worm’ has that colossal doom rock sound. The crashing cymbals, droning vocals and low end serve as a call-out to legends like Candlemass and Pentagram and it wouldn’t be surprising to see some Bobby Liebling soul snatching stares ensue live. As it progresses, the album seems to pick up in prominence, but it still feels like something is missing. ‘Witches Candle’ is that missing piece. The foot to the floor, no bullshit rock and roll spirit flows through this track like the thundering of hooves charging forth. It is a track which doesn’t just sound like something from the proto-years, it actually feels like an organic moment of music which stands tall on its own.
‘White Wedding’is a fun little cover of the classic Billy Idol track, retaining the melodic flair but switching out the Steve Steven’s iconic descending B minor arpeggio, E and D chord progression for big, thundering chords following both the sound and rhythmic approach. Throw in some little licks and replace the moody Idol vocals with that haunting stoner-doom howl and slow it down slightly and you have a fantastic cover. ‘Mars Rover’ keeps the momentum going. This time with a very atmospheric build up, pilling in the dramatic sustained organ chords and crashing cymbals to give it a slight Deep Purple styled flair before a huge bass driven rumble leads back into another storming number similar to ‘Witches Candle’ earlier in the release. It’s got a wild energy and its a solid track, giving the album a very solid middle and laying the groundwork for what could be a good finale.
The problem is, that the final tracks aren’t that solid. ‘Dig Your Way Out’ has a real rawness and harsh bite, , showing that they can snarl and bare their fangs when needed, but the vocal effects giving it that static sounding edge just don’t mesh well with the booming thunder fuzz chords. ‘The Fool’ has that slow bluesy edge, but the horns give it more of a comedic flair than any musical augmentation worthy of substance. The rhythmic hook, the almost hypnotic vocals and dizzying progression do help with the psychedelic edge to the track, but the dancing horn effects just mean that this track cannot realistically be taken seriously in any manner. Live, this would be hilarious, a highlight and enjoyable, but on record, no thanks. This just leaves the closing track, ‘Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm’. A slow paced, haunting proto-inspired track which makes the listener think of tracks like ‘Solitude’ and ‘Planet Caravan’. The simple repeating melody throughout the track soon gives way to a huge sounding variation loaded with plenty of dirt and fuzz and it is here where the vocals come in. Gang chants laden with harsh distortion and static, ritualistic in nature and very theatrical, it is the band seemingly getting back on track. It definitely finishes the album on a strong note, but it fails to fully regain the lost momentum.
In all, Margarita Witch Cult have something going for them. They have a good creative spark, a good compositional mind and they definitely look and sound the part of retro/proto-metal and stoner newcomers with all the potential and momentum to make them megastars, but it still feels that they lack that extra edge which will win everyone over. Strung Out In Hell is certainly living up to its name – over the 40 minutes you are pulled taut in multiple directions but the album fails to keep you committed on course. “Strung Out Our Bag of Tricks” might be a more cynical way to describe this rollercoaster of an album; it certainly takes its time to get to speed and there’s some moments of excitement, but at times you wonder whether the car is going to stay on track or will the wheels fly off?