It might have been 14 years since King’s X graced the world with a new album – but after everything that has happened, we should be on our knees thanking whatever God we believe in that there is indeed a new disc in our hands.
Since the time of XV, two members of the band have gone through serious health problems. The world is still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. And, let’s not fool ourselves, everyone has gotten older—bassist/vocalist Dug Pinnick is now 71.
Through all of this, King’s X knew they still had something to say, though one has to wonder if they knew way back then that Three Sides Of One, their latest release, would be so dark lyrically. But through that darkness shines some incredible beauty, and King’s X might have just made the best album of their career.
The band—Pinnick, guitarist/vocalist Ty Tabor and drummer/vocalist Jerry Gaskill—seem to address head-on the condition of the world circa 2022 with the opening track “Let It Rain” —rebirth through loss being a recurring theme of the album. Throughout the bulk of the 12 tracks making up the disc, King’s X writes and sings about the darkness that seems to have enveloped humanity, without necessarily pointing the finger at just what caused it.
Whether it’s entertaining the thought that we’re due for another Biblical flood to allow a fresh start (“I used to say that all we needed was love / Now I’m thinking that what we need is a flood,” from “Flood, Pt. 1”), questioning just what passes for truth (“I want to hear it from you / No spin, no lies” from “Nothing But The Truth,” “But nobody complained / Fact they said it was right / So they all lit up torches / And marched into the night” from “All God’s Children”), or questioning whether technology is as wondrous as it seems (“Swipe Up” —the weakest track on the disc, yet still a decent listen), King’s X doesn’t shy away from not only destroying the golden calf, but pissing on the smoldering remains. And they do it all behind solid riffs, powerful lyrics and top-notch songwriting.
Yet all is not doom and gloom; the closing track “Every Everywhere” dares to hold out the hope that humanity’s desire for love will eventually win out. Although its sudden conclusion is a bit anticlimactic, it is the perfect song to end the album on.
Complaints? I have but one: this disc is too goddamn short. Clocking in at just under 47 minutes, it leaves the listener wanting much more. But King’s X has always seemed to know when to step away from the party, rather than wearing out their welcome. So it’s possible that they knew exactly what they were doing by keeping this disc fairly short.
Three Sides Of One captures King’s X at the peak of their craft—a band that doesn’t have to worry about bucking the wave of popularity, giving them the freedom to state exactly what’s on their mind. Whether we as a planet listen to the messages behind the songs… well, that’s up to all of us. If this album isn’t at or near the Top Ten list of every respectable critic come December, I’ll be sorely disappointed.