MUSIC REVIEW: SLEIGH BELLS - 'REIGN OF TERROR'
Noise Pop Gets Polished & Toys with Anger on the Duo's Second Album
(Mom & Pop Music) For a band that gained a ton of attention with their very first release, Sleigh Bells had a lot to live up to. And that they did. Reign of Terror is the perfect next step for this duo. It is still enough rough and gritty, but with a more polished feeling. The intense guitars and electronics still surge throughout each song, and Alexis Krauss’ vocals remain at a state of fluctuating between soft and haunting, and screamy and angry. Yet there is something more mature in Reign of Terror’s sound. Maybe it is in the upgraded production, or just the two members of the band progressing in how to marry their previous sounds more harmoniously (Derek Miller came from hardcore band Poison the Well, and Krauss was a pop, solo act), but it really works.
Coming in heavy with drum machine beats and their signature loud, grungy guitars, “Crush” showcases Sleigh Bells’ ability to blend the hard edge of their music with a softer, poppier vocal and lyrical style. The lyrics about having a crush on someone are so sweet and melodic over this driving wall of such heavy sound that it seems strange at first. Then the yelling, crowd-pumping words hit and work to bring every contradictory sound together. It is dynamic and so catchy that you almost hate yourself for being an adult.
“Comeback Kid” sounds as if it could have been from the band’s first album, Treats. It flows from a fast-paced, hard-hitting track into slower, more vocally driven sections. The drum beats are almost inhumanly quick under the pressing electric guitars. This is all layered in with synth riffs that could be straight from the '80s and Krauss’ angelic-toned vocals -- another song from Reign of Terror that will trap itself in your head for days.
Playing more into the angry side of Sleigh Bells, “Demons” hits with a loudness in everything. Guitars, drums, vocals…they are all going to smack you right in the face without the slightest sense of remorse (quite fitting for its title). This track falls on the heavier rock side for the group. It’s them spitting in your face, and you can’t do anything but ask for more. It’s a force and an image in your brain. You will step into this world filled with demons, and fight your way through until the end. Krauss’ vocals scream in your face. The music is deceivingly simple, but if you listen closely, you will hear each layer and its intricacies.
“End of the Line” slows down the pace yet maintains the feeling of the album and the band’s sound. The vocals create a feeling of urgency, at times, with their speed and higher pitch, and then soothe you as they slow to serenade you. It provides a nice contrast to the rough edge of some of the other songs on the album. The vocals haunt you while the music keeps driving you forward. It is reminiscent of a great '80s pop/electronic song, but still modern.
Reign of Terror is filled with things that should contrast but instead fuse together to create something simple and complex all at once. Sleigh Bells weaves in and out of tempos and moods and genres. They are a contradiction that works. They are pissed off and sweet, and ready to rock your head off. Face the demons and listen for yourself.
Standout Tracks: “Crush,” “Comeback Kid,” “Demons,” “End of the Line”
For Fans Of: The Black Lips, Darwin Deez, Florence and the Machine Cut Copy
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