One of the most alluring aspects of Brooklyn based Sleigh Bells is their ability to combine sweet with abrasive. Distorted guitar riffs heavily drive their music while the sexy vocals of Alexis Krauss back them up. Setting the music scene on fire with their debut album Treats, it’s hard to imagine that the phenomenon could be replicated. Unfortunately this is the case, but there is much more to be said about Reign of Terror besides “their old shit was better.”
The first thing to know about Reign of Terror is that it is not the assaulting party anthem album that Treats was. Don’t be mistaken, the album is far from a candy ass pop record but for the most part as a whole it is a bit toned down. The lead single “Comeback Kid” is their catchiest song since “Rill Rill” and has the perfect pop/metal element that the band strives for. The good news about the new album is that people who found their last release too loud will love the slightly more subdued nature of Reign of Terror.
Picking up right where the last album left off “True Shred Guitar” has a ton of energy and sets the tone for what is a diverse experience. The following tracks “Born to Lose”, “Crush”, and “End of the Line” add a good deal of emotion to the record and describe what I can only discern as a response to their overwhelming popularity garnered from their first release. Even with the deep emotion within the release there is still plenty of guitar driven joy and unrelenting aggression.
With the bar set so high it is easy to put this record in the sophomore slump category, but like many other bands Reign of Terror is an expansion of their sound and an expiration of possible directions. There is almost a sweet side to some of the tracks and Krauss showcases her ability to project a deeper side than a let’s fucking party all night. The beauty behind this vein is that the dirty distorted riffs are still a big part of the songs. They are still as loud as ever and the wall of amps the band uses are completely justified.
For those who are hooked on their old sound, there is still a few tracks that truly capture that time, the most prevalent being the blistering track “Demons”. After you get the true aggression of that track the listener is immediately brought back into the flow of the album with “Road to Hell” and “You Lost Me” which is the perfect example of the scaled back beauty that the band is capable of and may be the best track on the album. The album ends on the beautifully crafted “D.O.A.” which perfectly drives the entirety of the album home and wraps it up into a nice little package.
Overall this album is not a crowing achievement for Sleigh Bells, but it is incredibly solid. They have expanded and explored different avenues without changing their sound and losing the edginess they established with Treats. Sleigh Bells will still kick your ass, but this time they will nurse you back to health afterwards.
