Confessions of an Antichrist, by Marta Skaði
The Book
Synopsis:
Marta Skaði is on a mission to destroy the world. Rebelling against the perfect, picturesque Norwegian fishing town she was born in, she has formed a black metal band of such disturbing depravity she knows they’re the perfect weapon to corrupt the masses.
When a record deal is dangled before the band after a particularly offensive gig, Marta has to hold the young, wannabe Satanists in her midst together as they reach for their destiny. Not easy when they consist of her ox-brained best friend drummer, a Viking-obsessed bass guitarist, a sex-addicted lead guitarist, and a barely human singer who could well be the Anti-Christ.
Yet as the record deal seems within reach, everything falls apart. And so begins the spiralling descent into madness of Marta and her strange, sordid group as they corrupt Christians on crosses and battle fascists with dildos, while coming to realise that one of them may be more evil than they realised…
Set in the grungy heavy metal scene of 2010’s Norway, Marta chronicles her descent into chaos and murder, fuelled by thinly veiled lust described as love. From burning down churches to satanic orgies, Confessions of an Antichrist is a fast paced and hair raising story, detailing the gruesome fulfilment of teenage dreams and nightmares.
My Review
Confessions of an Antichrist is a thrilling and messed up novel inspired by the Norwegian Black Metal scene, written by Marta Skaði, and published by Datura Books. From the start, we know we are for a riot of a story, with all the elements one could expect from the inspiration, slowly descending into madness and told from the perspective of Marta, manager of a young Black Metal band.
A fast-moving story that mixes the ascend of the band with the own Marta's memories about them and how their personal pasts have ended creating the characters each of the band's members; except for Suffer, the mad vocalist that takes much of the lead of the spectacle, also obsessed with murdering an innocent because of his own beliefs, the rest of the members are Marta's friends (and occasionally lovers).
Choosing Marta as the voice to narrate all is an interesting election, partly creating the parallel line with the own author, but also because despite she might be unlikeable, it is clearly shown she has the control over the band; all movements are just a result of her actions or her influence over the other members, going against all the traditional sexism that is tied together with the scene.
Plot advances in some unexpected directions, trying to create shock in the reader, exploring more the horror elements that are naturally tied to the story. Skaði uses a relatively low amount of settings, putting instead the focus on the self-destructive race started by the band and which ends with an apotheosic climax, really fitting for the direction the story was headed.
If you are in the search for a chaotic, intense and hard-going horror story, which could happen IRL, don't look more, Confessions of an Antichrist is exactly the perfect fit; bonus points if you know Black Metal's history, as you will recognize many hidden references. A book to devour!
The Author/s
