The Soda Shop - January 4th, 2011

Threefold Law are a stoner metal band from Ohio. Their debut is a unique one indeed. Instead of releasing one EP, they released two. Each EP can be purchased separately and downloaded straight from the band. In another interesting twist, which may not be new but is new to me, you can buy both EPs from the band on a USB stick. The total Threefold Law experience is called MMX. The USB stick contains both EPs, The Rede and The Burning Time, “The Killer of Sultan” demo, high quality artwork and two videos containing an interview and a live performance. The audio is on there twice, MP3 and WAV format so you’ll be all set to throw on your MP3 player or burn straight to CD. If you need other formats, the files will easily convert with your favorite program.

The first video which is the interview, the band talks about why they decided to release the album on a USB drive, the origins of the band, the songwriting process, their influences and their outlook on the future as a band. The second video is a live shot of the song “Kingdom on Earth”.

And now, onto the music.

The first EP is The Burning Time which consists of 4 tracks. The first track, “Rankin”, starts off sounding like a Tool track but quickly gets nice and heavy. “The Killer of Sultan” is a final version of a previous demo that was released. The coolest track on this EP, “The Burning Time” is a mix of a doom, metal and classic rock track all held together by one memorizing bass line. The guitar solos in there are killer too. It’s almost a full 9 minutes long but stands out as the highlight. The EP comes to a close with the track “The Serpent King” which is heavy as fuck and I imagine would be a mosher’s favorite.

The second EP is called The Rede. This one is about 25 minutes long with 5 tracks. It starts off with “Paris Green” which is one of those songs that everyone can bob their heads to while yelling out the lyrics in unison. It’s a pretty catchy tune. “Ember Daze” is similar. “Kingdom on Earth” is next, which like “The Burning Time”, has a pretty catchy guitar tune just not as bass heavy. “HIS” is pretty mellow but heavy at the same time. The EP comes to a close with a somewhat of a mellow slow jam with the song “Old Dominion”. It’s the longest on this EP at almost 8 minutes long.

Threefold Law is onto something with the release of this USB drive release. The possibilities that one can do with this are virtually endless. As they touch up on in the video, it’s sign of what people are doing in today’s society. Threefold Law will be considered pioneers in this trend in a few years, you watch.

This set of EPs are pretty good. They’re pretty catchy too. They’re different yet the same as they have that distinct sound that only Threefold Law can produce. Their different influences and styles mesh together well to produce what I can see as the start of a great and long musical career as a band. If this is just the start for this band then we’re in for quite a treat. If you like heavy, hard, doom or even sludge, you owe it to yourself to check out Threefold Law. You can order the MMX USB drive or each EP digitally from the band on their website. Check them out today.