The Armageddon Chord
Jeremy Wagner
Deep beneath the Egyptian sands, an ancient, evil song written in hieroglyphics is discovered in the long lost, buried pyramid of the demonic pharaoh, Aknaseth. It is written that if this song is performed for the world to hear, it will unleash the Apocalypse upon the world of man, and Sethis—known commonly as Satan—will reign and grant immortality to the chosen…more.
My Rating:
Ancient Egyptian texts reveal a song written in hieroglyphics that, when played by a masterful guitarist, will bring about the rising of Sethis and Hell on earth in The Armageddon Chord by Jeremy Wagner.
It starts in the desert at an archeological sight, with the introduction of the over-the-top, deformed, former Nazi-villain, Helmut Hartkopff. Apparently an incredibly old and vile man, he remains mysteriously capable and even picks fights in bars. This, as long as played tongue in cheek, marks this book for a wild romp into the mixing of Egyptian lore and heavy metal. Reading at a roller coaster pace, the story dips and peaks, moving along rapidly, but ultimately lacks depth and the wit you might expect from a setup like this.
The hero, Kirk Vaisto, is likable on paper, but majorly lacks personality and conviction, and his long rants into his feelings, perceptions and education on music often get in the way of the flow of the book, like the steady chug and pull of the cart going up a high mountain on the roller coaster ride. His love interest Mona, the spoiled daughter of the multi-billionaire, Festus Baustone III, is something of a mystery as to why she’s even involved in the story. She comes across as vapid and untrustworthy, and it leaves us to ponder why our hero even falls in love with her in the first place.
There are some incongruities in the storyline and hiccups in the linguistics that add to the previously mentioned character flaws. Little things such as these unfortunately make this otherwise capable book feel weak and not fully realized. The scenes of hell rising to storm over the earth and cause Armageddon are well described, with mutilations and ghastly beasts that stir the reader’s imagination. However, the horror that Jeremy Wagner writes doesn’t scream in your face with terror when it should be mimicking the untethered violence of some hardcore metal.
The Armageddon Chord is neither over the top enough with humorous intent, nor is it violent or disgusting enough to be metal horror, putting it politely in the middle when it should be thrashing and screaming around the dance floor.
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