Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You by Scotto Moore

Tor.com, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1250314901

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

Just when you thought Lovecraftian horror couldn’t get any weirder, Scotto Moore tosses this tongue-in-cheek tale of a band that is destined to bring out the end of the world into the ring. It’s a fun read that can and will be easily read in one sitting, and that’s sure to leave the reader with a smile.

The story begins when a music blogger happens upon a new group named  Beautiful Remorse on the Bandcamp website (akin to Soundcloud) with the name Beautiful Remorse. Of course, the infectious music soon causes quite a stir in the industry. The first song causes strange reactions in those who listen to it, and the narrator of the novella decides he needs to meet the singer of the band, Airee McPherson.

When he lands the interview, he learns that Airee and her enigmatic band have a plan for him: she informs him that she’s not from this dimension,  and will not be satisfied until she brings forth the end of the world as we know it.

Every day, Beautiful Remorse releases a new song that tears into the reality he knows, and something changes that just might signal the apocalypse. Airee plays the blogger like a finely-tuned instrument. He is a witness, and yet, can do nothing to stop it.

What ensues is pure entertainment, sheer fun in grandiose storytelling that just might cause old Howard Phillips to rock a bit in his grave. Reminiscent of Skipp and Spector’s The Scream, Moore’s book eschews the sheer horror of that classic for something much lighter (if you consider summoning forth old gods out of another dimension light). Think of  Lovecraft crossed with Jeff Strand and one might get the proper feel for this book. Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You is a fun read, recommended for a dark and stormy night.

Reviewed by David Simms