A KILLER’S CONFESSION, the band led by former MUSHROOMHEAD vocalist Waylon Reavis, will release a new album of melodic hard rock dosed with pummeling metal and industrial stylings, “Victim 1”, on September 13 via MNRK Heavy.
The official lyric video for the song “Filth” can be seen below.
“‘Filth’ is a personal favorite,” states Reavis. “It’s another chapter in the lore of ‘Victim 1’. I personally love the upbeat feel of this song, especially when playing it live. If you have caught an AKC show in the last few months, you have been lucky enough to hear it already. I feel our production team of Dusty Boles and Evan McKeever really helped me knock this one out of the park. The song takes you on a journey through the killer’s eyes.”
The singer also pulled back the curtain on the album as a whole, saying: “‘Victim 1’ might possibly be my favorite album I’ve ever been a part of. AKC stepped completely out of the box to write ‘Victim 1’. I brought in new producers [Dusty Boles and Evan McKeever] to help rebrand the sound of the band. I took most of last year off and did not tour in order to write this album.”
He continues, “The focus I found during this time really helped me flesh out the new sound and the direction in which I wanted to go. Personally, I feel that this is the true sound of A KILLER’S CONFESSION, and in my honest opinion, I feel like this is the first true AKC album. Every time I listen to the album, I sit back and smile, because I’ve never had that feeling before with AKC. The tone and atmosphere is completely different from anything we’ve ever done.”
“Victim 1” track listing:
01. Tongue
02. Sun
03. Greed
04. Voices (feat. Aaron Nordstrom)
05. Purpose
06. Martyr
07. Kill Or Be Killed
08. Filth
09. Rain
10. Wasteland
“Victim 1” is AKC‘s their fourth full-length offering and MNRK Music Group debut.
“A year ago, I was like, ‘What if we have a character who is fed up with the world?,'” recalls Reavis, offering in glimpse in the album’s darkest recesses. “In his heart, he knows what’s going on isn’t right, so he does something about it. On each song, he addresses a sin — whether in himself or against some horrible person. The conversations are either in his head or with the victim. You think, ‘If I was a guy who had the ability to find these people, how would I react?’ He’s got to do this, yet it’s destroying him since he’s truly a kind spirit. He has no regrets though.”
After releasing three seminal albums as a member of MUSHROOMHEAD, Reavis retreated from music, only for it to draw him back in 2016. He resurfaced at the helm of A KILLER’S CONFESSION, delivering three cult favorite albums — “Unbroken” (2017),“The Indifference Of Good Men” (2019) and “Remember” (2021). Along the way, the band tallied tens of millions of streams in addition to collaborating with everyone from Brian “Head” Welch of KORN and LOVE AND DEATH to Chad Gray of MUDVAYNE and HELLYEAH. Joined by bassist JP Cross, guitarist James Skritch, and drummer Kegan King, they also captivated crowds on tour.
During 2022, Reavis experienced an epiphany. “I had never thought about following a concept like this before,” he said. “However, I decided to focus, live up to the name, and be A KILLER’S CONFESSION.” He hit the studio with collaborators and producers Dusty Boles (MAKE ME FAMOUS) and Evan Mckeever (NINE SHRINES). Shocking this vision to life, he emerged with the 10-track equivalent of “falling down a YouTube rabbit hole of unsolved mysteries.”
A KILLER’S CONFESSION tell a story you won’t be able to look away from… or forget — both lyrically and sonically. “A KILLER’S CONFESSION is all of us,” Reavis shares. “It’s not just the band. It’s the people who listen, dive in, and learn from it. It’s each and every one of us deep inside. We all have killed off something in our lives. I hope you find some solace in the record. We don’t have to be so divided. We’re more alike than we think we are.”
Photo credit: Matthew Taylor Photography