METAL DISTORTION- 3 Blind Mice?

  ALL 3 MAKERS ALL MAKE THE SAME METAL PEDAL?  

I do not think that KHDK, KEELEY & WAMPLER new that the others had come to the conclusion that what many players wanted was an average price, average size Metal pedal designed with the sole purpose of tailoring it to meet all the requirements of Modern Style Metal! Yes they were 'Blind' to each other.

Each one put the focus of priorities in a different order but the end result is they are more the same then different. 

I do not think which you choose will make you the looser.

PRICEs
...KHDK        $230.00 USD
...WAMPLER  $200.00 USD
...KEELEY      $190.00 USD

Maybe not the best Demo's but the fairest as they are all done with the same guy.. the same setup.

  what's the difference? 

Well we could compare features but all 3 cover basically the same thing only perhaps with a different approach. All 3 let you tighten the sound ...all 3 give you that low end spluge ...all 3 give the cutting highs and sustain for shredding.

I think we end up with 3 philosophies and 3 tones.

KHDK Dark blood

I feel they are all about an easier control over the  very uncontrollable outcomes when you are dealing with high gain, In spite of that the pedal has a very rich sound ...very organic. 

Traditional high gain players would love the sound. A warm inner core inside a buzz saw outer one.
It is an effective illusion that the pedal sounds even more aggressive then the others on a video.
It isn't. lol

WAMPLER Dracarys

As always their pedals are about the middle ground. Enough high gain to 'just' push it over the edge if you want. A sound that is tight and focused, clear ...even slick.

As always this is a Brian Wampler pedal that unsurprisingly punches no mater what. This is a very 'safe' choice. It is everything it should be and nothing it shouldn't.

KEELEY Filament

Always a high tech slant on all Keeley products. Deconstruct the Metal sound and surgically remove even the tiniest wart. It even has one more knob and 2 more switches. lol
It is the most open sound of the 3 which on one hand makes for a very "big' sound. But that big sound is very airy not dark and dense like a trad metal sound. I just get the feeling it was a matter of checking all the boxes then saying. If nothing is broken or technically wrong then the sound must be right.The damn thing works because it has personality more by dumb luck then intent. I doubt this sound was in someone's head before they started although Joyo have new amp that sounds like this. With Wampler it is always an exact perceived sound that they chase until they get it. Once your ear gets tuned to the Keeley you could never mistake it for anything but a the Filament. I think it is one of Keeley's best pedals!!!

CONCLUSION
As I mentioned before there are no wrong choices.

I think if you were a really serious Metal player you could easily bypass them all.
You would more likely get one of the oversize pedals that have always catered to a near totally out of control sound. Something that will take your 'stack' to beyond music to a near blood sport.

May I recommend the beyond awesome ...King Of Overkill!!!
The hugest Metal sound ..EVER!!!
The ...GOOSONIQUEWORX KULT !!!  :-)

I think these  3 new pedals are aimed at the modern players that use a combo amp. Players that could quite easily mix modern Metal with one of many Indie Alt styles.
Alternatively they will even sell well with the weekend warrior cover bands that may spend the bulk of the gig going for their Tube Screamer.

CODA
I bought the KHDK.  I think in hindsight that the Wampler is more my thing since I could push it into some acoustic feedback from my amp much easier. I would sell it but for the fact that it is quite adequate and I feel it definitely has the richest tone.
Tone is definitely not a feature of Metal pedals unless you take the stance that a chain saw can have a good tone. lol
Bottom line! The more I play my KHDK the more I like it.