Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

For starters, this is a very self aware book. It is dramatic, grotesque, absurd and comical. While I've seen some comments on it being too gratuitous, I don't think that's the case. Confessions of an Antichrist reads like a well crafted fictitious recollection of a young manager of a black metal band (who shares her name, Marta, with the author, which I thought was a nice touch).

Confessions of an Antichrist follows Marta and her unreliable narration of the stardom of a black metal band formed by her friends and how she managed and fabricated their road to the climax of the story. While going back and forth in memories, we learn of Marta's relationship with each of the guys on a personal level, as well as coming closer and closer to understanding who Marta is and what her ambitions are.

This is a horror comedy and it did make me chuckle a few times. The blurb doesn't lie and neither does the summary: Expect the absurd and don't take things too seriously. You won't be able to put this book down. I had a lot of fun.

This book opened up so incredibly - I was sucked in from the first sentence. It really pains me that unfortunately, it didn't keep this same promise and pace. But I would be willing to try another book from this author because she is talented.

Confessions of an Antichrist follows Marta, the manager of a Norwegian black metal band comprised of Satanists (and posers). We begin with tales of their escapades, gigs, and friendship history, spliced with details of violence and sex (including sexual violence). As they work towards gaining a record deal, whilst continuing to engage in sex, violence, and depravity (I guess the black metal version of sex, drugs, and rock and roll) before descending into madness and murder (and dildos).

I really really really wanted to like this book. Ok paper, it had everything: rock/metal music, horror, madness, and humour. After reading the first page, I put off continuing until I had time to fully enjoy it without interruption. It started off well and was funny from the off. We're introduced to the band in the midst of a chaotic gig and it was a little hard to keep the members straight - other than their instruments, there was only a couple of things to set them apart from each other in my opinion. We're also introduced to violence and grief early on, with a heart-breaking story of loss and a tales of a gratuitously violent gigs. We learn the history of Marta's relationships with each member, and how she has to hide in the background for fear of ruining the bands chances of success with her devastating crime of being a woman. Despite this, she controls the band members in defiance of the sexist scene.

After around a third of the way in, the book was dragging for me and I was losing interest in the story. I was no longer captivated by the humour or violence. The characters pretty much blurred into one with unclear motives, being horrible just for the sake of it. Whilst the violence escalated as the book went on and there was still some humour, my interest continued to dwindle and I found it hard to care what happened. It was chaotic and messy but also fell flat. There is a lot of sexual references, violence, and metaphors throughout the book, and this became grating as though there only for shock or gratuity. Whilst some have commented that this is fast paced, I found it to be the opposite. I found the non-linear timeline slowed things down and it really dragged in the middle.

Overall, this had a lot of potential but didn't hit the mark for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

This book is one of my favorites of 2024!

Marta Skaði expertly builds tension through mystery, interpersonal drama, misdirection, and the slow and shocking reminder that the protagonist isn’t always the hero. It was genuinely difficult to guess what was going to happen next while Marta (the character) continued to leave vital information out of the narrative. This information was always revealed with such eye-popping timing.

One of the greatest aspects of the book is Suffer being painting as the antagonist for a majority of the story in a stroke of incredible misdirection. While Suffer might be a true psychopath, Marta is calculating and manipulative and prepared to do unspeakable things to get what she wants. The first time Hel (the character) is discussed it didn’t strike me as something that would go on to have such an effect on the book when Marta herself was already so drenched in cruelty. The reveal of Hel's take over of Marta made sense in hindsight but still dropped my jaw.

The narration has incredible voice that seamlessly integrates humor, longing, and story-enriching descriptions of a music scene that many are unfamiliar with. The explanations of the cultural history of the scene and the physical characterizations of the different facets within black metal and Satanism never pushed into YA-over-descriptive territory. It fit well within the tone of the book while lending a hand to readers who may not be familiar with what these shows physically look like or how people might style themselves.

Overall, nasty and enGROSSing. I loved it! My rating is technically 4 1/4 stars.

I think I enjoyed this overall. I'm conflicted because on the one hand, the novel delivers on what it sets out to do: be a overencompasing tale of one teenage band's rise in the Norwegian Death Metal scene. I was very intrigued based on the premise, but I feel a little disappointed by its conclusion. It might be my own expectations on the novel, but I thought it was going to be way more horrific. If you are looking for a more "realistic" take on this type of story, then I think you would enjoy this. The book started off with a really strong first chapter and I was super into the book. However, I feel like the plot was not strong enough to hold my appreciation for most of the book. The book is darkly funny, and that's mostly thanks to our narrator. However, the narrator is also unreliable and downright obnoxious, so I was kind of able to tell where this book was going by the end - and even with that, I still found it to be a really messy and confusing ending.

Metal, Black Metal. Death. Violence. Love. Hate. Desecration. Betrayal.
Yes!!

I just reviewed Confessions of an Antichrist by Marta Skaði. #ConfessionsofanAntichrist #NetGalley

A good read. Would rate 3 stars. Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. Felt it was too long.

This is an original satirical book with a great setup, but unfortunately it didn't reach its potential in my opinion. The idea of a horror novel about a Norwegian black metal band which may be from the point of view of it's Antichrist member is fantastic. There is certainly an early over the top scene which grabs interest, but then the book meanders. There was little to no forward motion in this book because the narrative constantly flipping back to back story about the members which felt draggy. Even with all of this, the motivations for the characters felt murky at best, and I couldn't find myself carying about any of them. I kept reading hoping it'd lead to an exciting climax but instead it fizzled out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Datura for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel to read in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank NetGalley and Datura Books for giving me access to this novel's e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am sure we are all aware of the lore around Scandinavian Black Metal. The murders, church burnings, and self-destruction that played out in the darkest era of Black Metal. Confessions of an Anti-Christ plays off that infamy with its story that smothers the reader with Sex, Violence, Satan, and BLACK-METAL-N-ROLL!

It is 2010, and our narrator, Marta, manages a band of extreme personality misfits. She is basically the Malcolm McLaren of Black Metal. She has a mission, and she will not be stopped. The world must be destroyed, and Marta and company are dead set on providing the soundtrack to its destruction.

The publisher’s description of Confessions of an Anti-Christ boasts of fighting fascists with dildos as the group descends into the chaos of church burnings, Chaos, and Murder! The book delivers on all those 10 times fold. The publishers also talk about Marta being an unreliable narrator. That’s true, though I think it had the opposite of the intended effect.

The book does what it sets out to do: deliver a harrowing tale of depravity set to the pulsing energy of Norwegian Black Metal. There is plenty of dark humor, and it's downright funny if you have that sense of humor. Where it loses me, though, is with the unreliable narration and the very annoying ramblings about the interconnecting relationships between Marta and the band members. When it comes to the reveals near the end, it feels like a cluttered mess of confusion.

This is a very over the top satirical horror novel about a black metal band. If you're a fan of black metal, I think you have to understand that this is taking a very satirical funny look at black metal and the absurd things about it. There are definitely people who love black metal who will definitely not like this. However, it was an amusing, over the top read. If it sounds up your alley, give it a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Datura for this amazing opportunity to read,rate and review this arc which is now available!(3/11/24)

This was a fun truly dark read. It is about a Norwegian Black Metal band that delves into darkness depravity and murder in Norway during the 2010s scene. It was twisty and turny. It was depraved and dark. It truly gave you a glimpse into the minds of wannabe satanists in a band who are dead set on burning the world down and the murder they committed. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel to read in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. A horror novel about a Norwegian black metal band? What's not to like about that? I'm a sucker for books about fictional media (podcasts, bands, movies, etc) and this one was right in line with my musical interests. However I felt like for as excited as I was to start reading it, I couldn't maintain that excitement through the book. It was off to a slow start and it unfortunately it didn't get any better for me in the back half. The characters were all as deplorable as you'd expect but their motivations seemed murky at best and none of the characters ever evolved into three dimensions. There was a lot of foreshadowing that fizzled out rather than coming into interesting fruition and the one element of the book I actually got excited about never actually went anywhere.

I gave this book two stars because while I won't read it again I still thought it was readable. There is definitely an audience for this book that will enjoy it, it just wasn't me.

I am going to apologize but I couldn’t even get 10% into this book. As someone who loves heavy metal and knows the history of Norwegian Black Metal, this felt messy. If it’s meant to be satire then maybe it’s okay but even still the message and the “humor” is just hitting the reader over the head.

Did not enjoy this right from the start.

Don't think of this as a crime novel. it is NOT. it's a horror book in general, about a death metal group which is SO overdramatic. but i loved it anyway. thanks for the arc.

This book was an oddity. It was very much gratuitous more than anything else, and didn't follow a linear plot. There was a lot in here that was mostly just for shock value, but I feel like that was the whole point, whilst also not enjoying that that was the point. The characters were superficial and irritating, and I really didn't connect with any of them. They were designed to be frustrating and horrible people (fundamentally) but this doesn't bite like satire.

There is also a lot to be said for the art of subtlety in a book like this. The world of black metal and death metal is not subtle, sure, but something more could have been done to make it just a little more approachable and a little less over-the-top.

This was a relatively fun, dark, highly twisted tale. Towards the end I started feeling it was a bit predictable, but definitely read until the very end because there's some extra twists that brings it together in a far more satisfying way!

This book was a riot. Confessions of an Antichrist by Marta Skaði follows, well, Marta herself as she regails readers with the tale of Baphomet’s Agony. This black metal band has one goal–corruption. Arriving March 12 from Datura Books, readers will be disgusted and find delight in the antics presented before them. Or should I say, the case? This is, technically, a crime novel after all.
In order to properly dive in, a quick introduction to the band is needed. Marta, the “author” of this book, is the band’s manager. She gathered together four purported Satanists to create Baphomet’s Agony. The least inclined on all counts is The Exorcist on drums. Decadence, the beautiful hedonist, is on guitar. The Viking, Bolverk, is on bass. Which leaves vocals to a deeply disturbed individual called Suffer. Now, outside of Marta, these aren’t their actual names. But I’m going to stick with their Baphomet’s Agony personas for ease.
This book is, in essence, an interview. Or maybe it’s a confession. Perhaps it is all fiction. Marta certainly wouldn’t tell you what to believe. Except, she kind of would. This Satanic black metal band has… one Satanist in it. The resulting conversations on belief, identity, and presentation are both poignant and hilarious. And all of this, according to Marta, is her design. This girl has goals.
It is, also, a love story. But this is not a romance. And while, yes, this love story contains people, and those people have relationships together… It also reads as a love letter—to metal music. Luckily for me, I’ve been getting a metal education this year. Z, if you’re reading this, you rock. Now if you haven’t been getting a metal education, or you aren’t already a fan, this may not be as funny to you. But if you are? Prepare for a lot of laughs.
I said earlier this was a crime novel, though, right? And it is definitely a book filled with murder. But not a lot of mystery. As also mentioned above—Marta has a plan. She’s been working on it a while. But she’s also our narrator. And the question has to be asked, can we trust her? She is telling this story, looking back on events she already lived. It feels like something Poe could have written. If he lived today and wanted to write as a metal obsessed teenage girl in Norway, that is.
Metal, though, isn’t really Marta’s obsession. And I know I said this feels like a love letter to the genre. I don’t refute myself. That is how it feels as a reader. As a character, though, destruction and depravity are the true obsessions. This book can be nasty. It is violent, it is explicit, it is gross. It is also irreverent, unflinching, and indiscriminate. But it goes to these places and scenes with such wit and dry humor that the book doesn’t become splatterpunk.
I had so much fun with this book. More fun than I expected, honestly. And it has to be one of the funniest books I’ve read. At least in a long time, if not overall. It was so over the top while being undeniably clever that I could not help but laugh. And hey, it also made me really want to go find some new music. What more could I ask for in a book like this?
Confessions of an Antichrist arrives March 12, 2024 from Datura Books and is available for preorder now. Marta Skaði is a pen name for Anthony Misquitta.

This book left me with a "what the heck did I just read" feeling. It started out kind of slow but at about chapter 4, one odd and shocking thing after another kept coming and you can't look away. Unreliable narrator and not for the faint of heart.

“Kindness, love and beauty cannot exist in a world that doesn’t know evil, hatred and pain. That is where I come in. I create the darkness out of which the light can shine.”

Marta Skadi’s novel is about a a young women called Marta who forms a black metal band from a fishing village in Norway. These wannabe satanists want to spread their message and corrupt the masses across the world through their depraved displays at their infamous shows. As a record deal is on the table, soon things take a turn within the band and community. Marta is good at getting what she wants so this decent into madness is only the beginning of the destruction headed her way.

The novel is set around the 2010 heavy metal scene in Norway. It takes a deep dive into the metal music scene, what happens behind the scenes and the conflicts between other communities who are not afraid to voice their opinions against black metal music. Within this is a crime story and a disturbing look at the dynamics between band members struggling with troubled pasts.

Violence, sex, murder and abuse are a few of the themes that add to the shock and horror of what is happening within the band and how evil takes form in many ways. It is obvious that each member of this band has issues and begs the question who is the most disturbed one out of them all? But when there is a puppet master pulling the strings surely the answer is obvious.

I enjoyed reading this novel, it was a dark and twisted tale that would appeal to those who want to try something different.

First off, I’d like to thank Netgalley, the author and publishing house for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I’ve been eyeing this book for a while and was over the moon when I received it.

We started off great with such a STRONG opening chapter, and from then I knew I was hooked.
Though I will admit that the beginning dragged a bit and I found myself slightly impatient on that end, but that’s because I’ve always preferred fast-paced novels.

A very interesting read nevertheless. It pushed literary boundaries and made a mark. The blatancy of Marta making certain observations was a key highlight for me. I’ve always enjoyed narrators like that.

The humor was great, it was vile and full of violence and death and sex with a sprinkle of love all on top of a heap of black metal music and the combination was perfect. The ending was the filthiest, most shocking, twisted and picturesque part. It’s a perfect example of how humans can read about the most disgusting things, and still find curiosity in it. Remarkable. I couldn’t stop reading.

My Goodreads review as it won't link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6319476197