The Armageddon Chord
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.
Nihilistic multi-billionaire, Festus Baustone III—with the help of the malevolent Egyptologist, Helmut Hartkopff—will do whatever it takes to bring the song to life at any cost…even if his only daughter, Mona, is to be sacrificed.
Kirk Vaisto, known as the “God of Guitar” by his millions of fans, soon finds himself caught between the forces of divine good and monumental evil. Oblivious to the powerful darkness lurking in his guitar strings, Kirk agrees to work for Baustone and Hartkopff to turn Aknaseth’s hieroglyphics into music. Kirk begins a musical journey that takes him from an unholy chapter in ancient Egyptian history to the remains of the true Holy Cross, to the concert stage and to the very edge of Hell itself.
Praise
“Wagner debuts with a highly entertaining blend…of heavy metal and hardcore horror… Electrified by breakneck pacing, a cast of over-the-top characters and memorable lines…”
—Publishers Weekly
“An evil Egyptologist. A scheming billionaire. A guitar maestro. They’re all there in Jeremy Wagner’s, The Armageddon Chord. This is pulp fiction at its breeziest best.”
—Rolling Stone
“The Armageddon Chord is like The Da Vinci Code with a heavy-metal soundtrack!”
—Katherine Turman, co-author of Louder Than Hell: An Unflinching Oral History of Heavy Metal
“Wagner strikes a winning heavy-metal chord in this stunning story that foretells an End of Time beyond imagination. The author’s use of music as a backdrop and his development of fascinating characters make for interesting reading in this enthralling tale.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Combining the world of heavy metal with malevolent supernatural forces Wagner has created quite a fantastic read… a riveting thriller that is sure to keep readers glued to the pages until the very end…The unique blending of ancient history, religion and heavy metal make this book unlike any others I have read…. if you’re a reader of horror or fiction novels or if you’re a musician, then The Armageddon Chord will be right up your alley.
I know it kept me up turning pages into the wee hours of the morning.”
—Pure Grain Audio.com (4-1/2 of 5 STARS)
“The Armageddon Chord is a quick, enjoyable read full of action, violence, hell-spawned (and human) monsters and original variations of scenarios common to end-time thrillers.”
—Decibel Magazine
“Jeremy is a pretty impressive dude.”
—Peter Straub, NYT Bestselling Author of A Dark Matter and Ghost Story
“Jeremy Wagner is an up-and-coming voice in the realm of horror fiction. His talent shines through this debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what his next offering will be. A real page-turner, The Armageddon Chord strikes just the right note!”
—Yasmine Galenorn, NYT/USA Today Bestselling Author of The Otherworld Series
“The Armageddon Chord is a wild phantasmagoric thrill ride that will satisfy lovers of the darkest fantasy fiction and the heaviest of metal.”
—Peter Blauner, NYT Bestselling Author of The Intruder and Slipping Into Darkness
“Wagner combines a world of classic adventure and intrigue with a dash of rock’n’roll mystique for a unique take on the thriller format.”
—Joel McIver, Author of Justice for All: The Truth About Metallica
“Jeremy Wagner is the king of the new breed of horror! The Armageddon Chord strikes a low chord of death right through the reader’s frontal lobe.”
—Chris Barnes, vocalist, Six Feet Under
“(The Armageddon Chord) left vivid pictures in one’s mind…there could even be a movie made about The Armageddon Chord. ”
—Valencia County News-Bulletin
“(The Armageddon Chord) storyline is so awesome, I’m not sure why it wasn’t an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Really. Joss Whedon is wherever he is in all his brilliance, wondering why he didn’t think of this plotline. It’s that good.”
—West of Mars
“Wagner makes the story lots of fun by taking it to the extreme.”
—Anti-music.com
“The Armageddon Chord is a kickass novel!”
—Jonathan Maberrry, NYT Bestselling Author of Patient Zero
“The Armageddon Chord is a fun and thrilling combination of heavy metal music and horror. Jeremy Wagner has written a great story…this is a book that is hard to put down. Wagner has hit the ground running with his debut novel. I can’t wait to see what he has in store next.”
—The Horror Fiction Review
“(Wagner) has pioneered the genre known as “heavy metal horror fiction” with this work, combining aspects of modern heavy metal added to a new take on the horror novel genre. Wagner has crafted an excellent, original story that no one has really ever tackled before…he has written a terrific story that will delight fans of metal and horror. This book is well written with even the ancillary characters fleshed out and giving exacting details. His experience writing horror gives him the breadth and depth to create a book that is very suspenseful, expertly detailed, well-paced and exciting. Metal fans will find the many nods and references to the real music business, the world of heavy metal music and guitars pleasing while big horror fans will love the well-crafted, unmitigated evil and gore elements. The cultural and historical facts were painstakingly researched; lending an air of authenticity to the book that rivals others in the genre. I’ll be excited to see what Wagner comes up with in his next attempt at this style.”
—Metal Army America
“The book is a fun, fast-paced explosion of heavy metal, Egyptian mythology, and a good taste of the occult that makes for a very engaging read. If you enjoy apocalyptic tales and epic clashes between good and evil, then the plot of this book will definitely have you hooked.”
—Metal Injection
In 2020 a student—Eliseo Salguero—at the Palacky University in Olomouc (Czech Republic) Faculty of Art/Department of English and American Studies did his Master’s Thesis on “Death Metal themes” in books, and chose my novel, The Armageddon Chord as part of his dissertation to support his aim in achieving an academic degree. The Master’s Thesis titled, “A Narratological Analysis of Death Metal Themes in Selected Works of Jeremy Wagner and Dean Swinford” is available in the link below if anyone wants to read it.
I’m honored that he chose my work and it’s just rad AF.