In an age where the dominant question concerning media is whether or not physical product is necessary anymore – i.e. CDs/vinyl vs. mp3 and other common formats – Cleveland, Ohio, metallers Threefold Law have pulled off a rare feat and found a happy medium with their new double-EP release, MMX. For curmudgeonly CD collectors like myself who just can’t let go of the little plastic discs, MMX is presented over the course of two component EPs, The Rede and The Burning Time, each in its own jewel case with separate and complete artwork (you also get downloadable versions of the tracks when you buy from the band). The digital version of MMX comes on a custom-designed USB key and features a host of bonus material, from video clips and WAV files to an actual Threefold Law tarot card and embedded artwork. Maybe it’s not so much a compromise between the two sides of the issue as much as it’s Threefold Law covering their bases, but it’s interesting in that either way you tackle MMX, the band has managed to maintain some semblance of control over how you hear their material.

For me, I have to put on a separate disc to switch from The Rede to The Burning Time, but even if I loaded all the files into my iTunes or some equivalent clunker of a media player, I’d still have two separate covers and contexts to tackle with MMX. I’m not sure why Threefold Law would want to put out their material this way – though I’ll admit there are thematic differences between the two EPs that make it easy to read in a few reasons – but they’ve done a good job of it nonetheless. And the music, which is ultimately what matters on this or any other release, is quality traditional doom with nods to Trouble and a C.O.C.-type tone in the double guitars that only adds to the already-satisfying low end. Each EP has an appeal of its own. The Rede closes with “Old Dominion,” a heady jammer with Threefold Law’s best bass performance (though “The Serpent King” from The Burning Time offers stiff competition), where The Burning Time has the memorable cuts “Rankin” and “Killer of the Sultan.” What unites the two EPs and ultimately draws MMX together is the riffing and the consistent vocals, which lead almost exclusively throughout the tracks. There are a few excellent guitar solos – they feature in layers on the title cut from The Burning Time — and overall the material should sit well with fans of American traditional doom and/or the darker, heathen side of stoner metal.

If I have any real criticism of MMX or the two separate pieces that make it up, it’s in the production. Obviously Threefold Law is a band who’ve given real time and thought to how they’re presenting their material, and yet at no point on The Burning Time or The Rede do I feel like the songs are “popping” the way they should. It’s not an egregious offense on the part of the band, and it’s not like the songs sound like crap – I’ll be clear and say definitively they don’t – but they come across flatter than they should in parts and I think it holds MMX back to some degree. Again, it’s not like Threefold Law should have called in Bob Rock or some such overproducer to carry across the spiritual themes of “HIS” or “Kingdom on Earth,” but with vocal interplay, two guitars running off each other and a more than capable rhythm section, there’s a dynamism in these songs and an atmosphere being created that aren’t getting their best justice, and as Threefold Law are so innovative in one aspect of their approach, as a listener, I want that to be the case across the board.

Fortunately, at the end of the day, good songs are good songs, and Threefold Law have kicked off their discography with a collection of them. Running a current underneath both The Rede and The Burning Time is quality songwriting and a level of performance that – as it should – makes me desperate to hear these tracks in a live setting. The method of release may be a convenient focal point when it comes to MMX, but it’s important to remember that without the chops to back it up, they’d just be a band with a USB key. As it stands, Threefold Law are a promising up and coming unit with a clear drive to subvert the norm. One hopes they continue on this path.

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Tags: Cleveland, Ohio, Revenant Record Corporation, Threefold Law

This entry was posted on Monday, January 10th, 2011 at 1:19 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.