Fourteen long years have passed since the last King’s X album, but unlike other bands with long gaps between releases this trio has hardly been quiet. In addition to still touring regularly (aside from some hiatuses due to health issues), dUg Pinnick, Ty Tabor, and Jerry Gaskill has all kept busy releasing music as solo artists or with other projects. But there’s always been a hope among fans that they’d come back together in the studio as King’s X at some point, as their vast discography has always had a ton of substance to offer listeners. Sometimes going for more straightforward and rawer ideas while other times leaning into progressive leaning moments, the group has often skirted that line between rock and metal while influencing a lot of other big names over the decades. That feels perfectly represented on album number thirteen, Three Sides of One, which has some downright heavy moments alongside softer and introspective ones. It’s a strong showing from beginning to end, offering fun and playful hooks alongside much more somber and inward-looking material, and it’s a sign that even after forty-three years King’s X gels together as musicians better than most.
A lot of artists whose roots go back to the 70s and 80s have been putting out albums over the last few years, with some continuing to add to their mammoth discography and others returning after decades. Sometimes these efforts can feel tired and lack the energy of the earlier days, but Three Sides of One sounds like the opposite and if anything finds King’s X sounding like they’re having more fun than ever. Coming in at a compact forty-six minutes, the twelve songs that make up the album span a little bit of everything heavy and melodic the band has offered over their lengthy career while still pulling in elements that make them sound unlike anyone else. The driving grooves of blues and rock ‘n roll are still at the foundation of King’s X, but how they get there differs from song to song and the hooks remain flowing from beginning to end. Some of the earlier tracks are downright heavy, letting the floor shaking bass tone and crunchier guitar tone steal the spotlight, while later moments head into much softer Beatles and psychedelic textures where warm melodies take over. The trio’s ability to shapeshift between faster, high-energy tempos and slower, introspective moments has always worked to their favor and it’s shining brighter than ever on Three Sides of One. Just when you think you’ve fallen into a more somber and introspective patch where the melodies expand outwards with beautiful textures, King’s X throws you a curveball with a bouncier track like “Festival”. There remains an unpredictability to the songwriting too, as transitions from heavy to melodic sometimes come without warning and Ty’s extended guitar solo on “Nothing But the Truth” comes roaring through the recording in truly stunning fashion. Three Sides of One is also one of the band’s more polished sounding releases in recent memory, boasting a full production that allows for the layered melodies to soar and the bass to jump out at you in all the right ways.
Another distinguishing element of King’s X music has been the shared vocal duties, as dUg, Ty, and Jerry trade off on singing throughout Three Sides of One. This has often added to the diversity of their music as each one has a fairly different pitch, and while the songs which dUg had the spotlight tended to grab me on some of their past records here the material shines equally. For those uninitiated with the group, dUg delivers a slightly gruffer pitch that recalls classic souls and blues, while Ty and Jerry have softer ranges that still soar in equal capacity and remind me a bit more of everything from The Beatles to later power pop and psych rock. No matter who takes the lead on a song, the other members often contribute back-up singing and this leads to some great harmonies on almost every piece. It’s also worth noting the lyrics explore mortality and do have their share of darker moments, yet there’s still a lot of hope and brighter tones in here that just made me relaxed and happy the more I listened.
The lengthy wait has been worth it, as King’s X has returned with an album filled with strong instrumental and vocal hooks that remains enjoyable from beginning to end. All the core elements you’d expect from them at this point are in place without things seeming like they’re retreading the past too closely, and the music remains as hard to pin down as ever. Whether it be hard rock, psychedelic/progressive leaning rock, blues, power pop, or borderline metal doesn’t matter, as there’s plenty here to draw in newcomers and established fans alike. Longtime fans are sure to debate where this fits within the whopping thirteen album discography, but personally I’m just glad that we get this good and polished of an effort forty-three years in and will be listening to this one for some time to come. Three Sides of One is available from Inside Out Music.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
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