Written By Caine Blackthorn
Taking on one of the biggest pop songs of the past decade is already a fairly bold move. Doing it when your usual territory involves crushing riffs, dark electronics and the unmistakable voice of former Mushroomhead frontman Waylon Reavis makes things considerably more interesting.
A Killer’s Confession have released their own version of The Weeknd’s massive hit “Blinding Lights,” but rather than simply dragging the song through heavier machinery, the band have taken much of that machinery away.
The band’s rendition leans into a dark, doomy alternative-metal atmosphere without burying the song beneath sheer heaviness. Instead, the arrangement leaves room for its enormous melody while putting Reavis’ clean vocals front and center, showcasing a range and melodic strength that the heavier corners of his catalog don’t always allow him to display.
It also arrives at an interesting point in the band’s story.
With sixth studio album Victim 3 due this fall through MNRK Heavy, Reavis has suggested that “Blinding Lights” connects directly to the narrative reaching its conclusion across the band’s Victim trilogy.
A Killer’s Confession Blinding Lights Reimagines The Weeknd Hit
The idea of tackling another unexpected cover grew out of the response to A Killer’s Confession’s rendition of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box,” which appeared on 2025 album Victim 2.
This time, however, Reavis wanted to move even further away from the band’s natural musical territory.
“I enjoyed doing Heart-shaped box so much and it was so well received I felt like maybe I should do another. This time I wanted to do something in a different genre, and go a completely different route. I always enjoy the song, ‘Blinding Lights’ just something catchy and haunting about it. I feel like it could be the perfect song to be stuck in our character’s head for the last time ever as we end this trilogy.”
That final thought gives the cover considerably more context than simply being an unexpected metal interpretation of a pop hit.
A Killer’s Confession began the current arc with Victim 1 in 2024, followed by Victim 2 in 2025. With Victim 3 now approaching, “Blinding Lights” appears to offer another piece of the atmosphere surrounding the trilogy’s conclusion.
Victim 3 Arrives This Fall
Victim 3 will mark the sixth studio album from A Killer’s Confession and continues a particularly prolific period for the band.
Formed in 2016 around Reavis, A Killer’s Confession have developed a sound that pulls together alternative metal, heavy grooves, electronic elements and melodic hooks without completely severing the darker edges associated with their frontman’s past.
The band’s catalog includes tracks such as “Numb” and “Angel On The Outside,” while Reavis has collaborated with artists including Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch, Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray, Gemini Syndrome frontman Aaron Nordstrom and former Mushroomhead bandmate JMANN.
Their interpretation of “Heart-Shaped Box” became one of the notable moments from Victim 2, with its music video closing in on one million YouTube views.
Rather than repeating that formula, “Blinding Lights” finds A Killer’s Confession moving in the opposite direction, trading sheer weight for restraint.
Order Victim 2 HERE
Track Listing:
1.Hopeless Gray
2.In Case of Emergency feat. JMANN
3.Hollow
4.Facts
5.Heart Shaped Box
6.Headstone
7.Baptized By The Fire
8.Darkside
9.The Suffering
10.Endless Silence
11.Hand of God
Everything Comes Full Circle Tour
The arrival of Victim 3 will also put A Killer’s Confession back on the road.
The band have announced the Everything Comes Full Circle Tour, a fall headline run featuring special guests Dizasterpiece and Dead Things.
Between the stripped-down reinvention of “Blinding Lights,” the approaching tour and the conclusion of the Victim trilogy, A Killer’s Confession are heading into the fall with several pieces moving at once.
And if Reavis really has chosen “Blinding Lights” as the final song rattling around inside his character’s head, an enormous synth-pop hit from The Weeknd may have just found itself in a considerably darker neighborhood.
A KILLER’S CONFESSION Tour Dates:
Purchase Tickets HERE
Nov 4 – Raleigh, NC – Chapel of Bones
Nov 5 – Baltimore, MD – Fish Head Cantina
Nov 6 – Lowell, MA – Taffeta Music Hall
Nov 7 – Pottstown, PA – Cosmic Arts
Nov 8 – Clifton, NJ – Dingbatz
Nov 10 – Warrendale, PA – Jergel’s Rhythm Grille
Nov 11 – Flint, MI – The Machine Shop
Nov 12 – McHenry, IL – The Vixen
Nov 13 – Louisville, KY – The Fox Den
Nov 14 – Columbus, OH – The King of Clubs
Nov 17 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck
Nov 18 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
Nov 19 – Des Moines, IA – XBK Live
Nov 20 – Sioux Falls, SD – Bigs Bar
Nov 21 – Rapid City, SD – The Park
Nov 22 – Denver, CO – HQ
Nov 24 – Glendale, AZ – The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife
Nov 25 – West Hollywood, CA – Whisky A Go Go
Nov 27 – Anaheim, CA – The Parish @ House of Blues
Nov 28 – Murrieta, CA – Solaris Beer & Blending
Nov 29 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge
Dec 1 – Draper, UT – Leatherheads Sports Bar & Grill
Dec 2 – Rifle, CO – The UTE Theater
Dec 5 – Lakewood, OH – Mercury Music Lounge
Band Members:
Waylon Reavis – lead vocals
JP Cross – bass
Richard “Stitch” Thomas – keyboards, vocals
Sean Heenan – drums
A KILLER’S CONFESSION
About The Author
Caine Blackthorn writes music news, trending topics, commentary, and feature pieces for Metal Lair with a focus on the shifting culture surrounding rock and heavy metal. From rising ticket prices and touring collapse to legacy artists, industry absurdity, and the changing soul of live music, his work blends sharp observation with the grit, humor, and frustration of the scene itself. Whether covering modern chaos or metal history, Caine approaches heavy music as something lived through, not simply reported on.
Read More From This Author:
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