I began a listen to A Killer Confession’s upcoming sixth full-length record Victim 3 with their clean cover of The Weeknd’s “Binding Lights”, featuring a jail cell masquerade music video.
I’ve long outgrown my Tumblr girl era of blasting The Weeknd in the background as I slather on a full face of makeup to take photos in fallen leaves, but the production of the music video on top of the unerving black and red mask donned by former Mushroomhead vocalist Waylon Reavis sucked me in from start to finish. I knew I had to give the entire new record a listen and I emerged with 10 infectious new songs added to my “metal workout” playlist (here if you need a new one).
This album concludes the band’s most ambitious storyline to date, following the serial killer from the previous two installments to his fate on death row.
Waylon Reavis had this to say about the record.
“You can’t go out and be a vigilante,” exclaims Waylon. “There will be consequences. Two wrongs never make a right, which is what I wanted to make clear. You may agree with what the protagonist is doing, but what he’s doing is still wrong. He’s gone so bad he can’t be saved. I felt like it was right to give him the worst punishment possible because of it. If you make these decisions, this is how it ends up. Victim 3 brings everything full circle.”
First track “The One” was without a doubt the correct move, choosing this chugging catchy track as the intro does the intended work of building excitement as Reavis’ vocals grow in gravel up through eventual screams. His whispering vocals sit like a puzzle piece in the middle of solid power riffs and haunting back tracks before listeners are tossed down a black hole of classic alt-metal sounds mixed with nu metal production on second track “Meat Hook”. His vocals are reminiscent of Korn‘s freaky nasal rap-talking with the metallic strength Reavis was known to deliver in Mushroomhead, the combination of the two kicking seamlessly into “Roses” and delivering another track full of non-stop breakdowns and jagged guitar sections. Throughout the record, I felt the high of a blistering mosh pit despite being sat at my desk in a chilly office.
Wait, I’m only four songs in?!
“Sick Condition” is clearly an indication that the killer in this record is having some existential thoughts about life after death with lyrics “where do we go when we all die?” but he quickly remembers his reservation for hell that he already made on earth. I hear the decor is really unique, although it’s hard to get on the list with all the billionaires holding up the spots. Reavis expels his insides with deeper octaves and stomach growls on “Sinners” and “Guillotine”, bringing out the melancholy felt from sitting in a jail cell with lyrics like “this cage is my home” and this psychopath belongs nowhere but here. When I reach “Undertow” I start craving a bit more diversity in the song structure, or maybe a weird unexpected key change would do the trick to break these songs up a bit as they start sounding repetitive.
The opening on “Never Alone” with a faster timing satisfies what I’m looking for a bit more as he crawls slowly back to the nu-metal vibes, the power never faltering behind the drums as it melts into the classic alt-metal guitars. “Worth Saving” is a track to end the protagonist’s life as he accepts “nothing can change me/nothing will save me”. Some people are born with an evil chromosome and metalheads are almost never those people. Waylon Reavis has been a great example and how metalheads are not only wholesome people but are often the ones leading the way towards care and change.
In real-life, Waylon does everything he can to fight against injustice. Post-Mushroomhead, a stint working with children in a residential treatment facility proved to be life-changing for him. Simultaneously, he has supported and helped victims of child trafficking. For ten years running, he has produced and presented an annual Toys For Tots concert.
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