Review Summary: They truly do bring the best out of each other.
It’s been fourteen years since King’s X released their last album, 2008’s XV. The trio has gotten some tours in and dealt with some medical situations, but the members’ creative juices were pretty much all diverted to the endless array of side projects they had developed in that time. Their 2019 autobiography went so far as to express skepticism at the idea of ever even releasing an album again together, calling attention to the self-admitted apathy that had taken hold of their creative relationships in recent years.
Despite that baggage being out in the open, it’s a relief to see Three Sides of One live up to its title as the most unified-sounding King’s X album in decades. As much as I love albums like 2005’s Ogre Tones and the preceding XV, the compositions could be rather blunt and tended to feel more like individual songwriters’ contributions rather than a full band collaboration. The songs on this album feel more jammed out and the musicianship is better integrated. You can still tell who wrote which song by whoever’s singing, but it’s clear that everyone put the work in on each one.
That integration also jives well with the members’ inherently strong musicianship. All the reliable King’s X tropes are present but also reflect their age as the vocals have a more wizened demeanor and the melodies have a somber air without completely giving way to melancholy. The harmonies also feel better developed all these years later, daring to reach back to their earliest days with the more involved vocal trade-offs and casual structures. Perhaps the bass could’ve been louder, but everything is on point overall.
This approach also makes for songwriting that is admittedly more experimental than catchy, but we still get a bunch of great tracks. You’ll find some old school throwbacks as the pleasant harmonies and wistful waltz on “Nothing but the Truth” are straight out of the Dogman playbook while the muddy crawl on “All God’s Children” and the hazy psych-folk on “Take the Time” could’ve come from Faith, Hope, Love. I must admit the ‘whoa-oh’ hooks on “Give It Up” can feel a little forced but are ultimately justified by a great bouncing groove and “Holidays” sees that long-running Beatles inspiration in full display.
As much as I might prefer the more immediate approaches of the mid-2000s King’s X efforts, the authenticity expressed on Three Sides of One makes it worth waiting for the writing to sink in. It’s still a hair shy of the band’s most ambitious efforts, but it’s great to see the band showing off their signature elements while aging gracefully. There’s a sense that the musicians aren’t trying to impress us but still value impressing each other. I’m sure it’s been fun for the King’s X guys to do all their solo albums and side projects, but they truly do bring the best out of each other.
