Born from the murky industrial depths of Birmingham, UK, Margarita Witch Cult’s self-titled debut studio album is a tour-de-force in classic metal, hard rock, doom, and mind-melting psych.

The band is currently on the European tour promoting their fantastic debut album that was released by Heavy Psych Sounds.

“It’s impossible not to feel the spectre of Black Sabbath walking the same streets where we rehearse”

You’re coming from industrial Birmingham, the same place as Black Sabbath. Do you feel the atmosphere is still the same as it was in the 60s?

Scott Vincent Abbott: It’s definitely a very different place now. So much of the industry has moved out of the city and made way for housing and gentrified nightlife. It’s impossible not to feel the spectre of Black Sabbath walking the same streets where we rehearse in a repurposed factory.

How would you describe your childhood and early teen years? Do you feel you are influenced by the city?

We are not native Brummies! We all moved here in our teens from the further reaches of the Midlands. The rich heritage of heavy metal here is a huge influence on us. Birmingham also has an underdog mentality which keeps you nicely grounded too.

Did you and your buddies have a special hangout place where you listened to music and so on? Tell us about some of the early bands band members had?

George Casual’s first band was called Snakebite and had a song called ‘Dirty Work’ about the sex industry! Jim Thing’s first band didn’t get that far and spent more time on photo shoots than music, there were only two of them and one didn’t even own a bass. I was in a “hype band” (no names here) that managed to blow every opportunity, Sony’s A&R once came to town to see us and saw me being sick up a building right after they got off the train…

What initiated the Margarita Witch Cult?

I had just finished a European tour with Monster Magnet (on Dave Wyndorf’s personal invitation!) and seeing those guys tear up the stage every night and hammering Sleep and Electric Wizard in the van made me want to return and do something loud. When COVID hit it was the perfect chance to write riffs and tunes and get jamming with George and Jim when restrictions allowed of course!

“Our style draws from many different elements of heavy music”

What would you say is the overall vision of the band?

We just wanna meet new people, play in as many countries as possible and make every record bigger and better than the last. Our style draws from many different elements of heavy music and we hope people grow to love the sound we’ve created and see it as distinctive and recognisable on its own.

You were signed to Heavy Psych Records for your debut album. Tell us what’s the story behind the material appearing on your fantastic debut. What kind of gear, effects, pedals do you have in the band?

Our most distinctive pieces of gear are my guitars. I made new bodies for Fender Stratocasters in the shape of a Flying V and put in Gibson pickups, it leaves a lot of people scratching their heads trying to work out what’s going on. Jim uses the epic Orange AD200B for bass which has a crushing tone and 1970s Greco Precision basses that are so smooth to play. I split into a Marshall and an Orange stack, needless to say we’re not too popular with the bands in the studios next door! I keep adding pedals by Does It Doom from North Carolina and I’m always blown away by their simplicity (one knob) and their attack and responsiveness to your playing and the guitar volume knob whilst still being able to decimate when cranked.

<a href="https://margaritawitchcult.bandcamp.com/album/margarita-witch-cult">Margarita Witch Cult by Margarita Witch Cult</a>

How would you compare your album to your previous EPs?

We’d only put out our two track demo on CD to see if people would dig it. The versions on the demo were recorded by ourselves with a high school cassette deck and an old Peavey mixing desk then mastered on GarageBand. We do get some people who love the lo-fi sound but it wouldn’t be feasible to be putting out records that sound like a wasp in a box then having a gargantuan live sound. The LP itself was still recorded live, with only one guitar overdub, and all but two of the tracks being the first takes we did but we worked great people and we’re so happy how it turned out.

Are you excited to play some shows in the EU? You’re coming to the StonerKras festival soon…

We’re stoked to be back in Europe, to be playing our first shows in Italy, Hungary, Slovenia and Austria is a dream. StonerKras looks incredible, and what a line up! The guys at Heavy Psych Sounds are the oracle of where it is good to play all over Europe, hats off to them.

Who did the fantastic cover artwork for the debut album?

An old friend of mine, he’s an amazing comic artist and plays in an amazing garage trash blues band but kinda keeps a low profile!

Are you planning to record a new album any time soon? I have a feeling that a follow-up album is coming soon…

We’re about 80% there with songs and want to get into a studio as soon as the touring permits. We are constantly playing the guitars unplugged and working out parts and tapping on beer boxes in the van and hotels on the road and trying the odd new track in soundcheck.

Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?

As you might guess, pretty much all the Sabbath albums up until Dio left are on constant rotation. Those plus ‘Bleach’ by Nirvana, ‘Dopethrone’ by Electric Wizard, Motörhead’s ‘Overkill’ and the first Van Halen album pretty much set the blueprint for the melting pot of our style.

In terms of new stuff, ‘PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation’ by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard is flawless and was on repeat for four days straight on our recent trip around Serbia! The latest ‘Danava’ LP was well worth the wait, a perfect mix of 70s and 80s duelling guitars. Bongzilla’s ‘Dab City’ rocks hard. Looking forward to new stuff from Deathchant and Inhuman Nature too!

Klemen Breznikar

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