Reign of Terror - Sleigh Bells

Sleigh Bells won me over. When my hipster-er-than-thou friends recommended their debut Treats to me, I was cautious – so cautious, in fact, that I ignored them, passed them off as Pitchfork shit and moved on. However, upon my first listen of the album a few months after its release, I was proven wrong within five seconds: the glorious, deafening opening to Tell ‘Em set the tone for the loudest, brashest and frankly best album of 2010. Vocalist Alison Krauss and guitarist Derek E. Miller’s latest effort is Reign of Terror, seemingly a departure from the devastating noise-pop of their debut – Miller’s father was killed in a motorcycle accident during the recording of Treats, while his mother’s (successful) battle with cancer throughout the album’s subsequent tour meant the writing and recording of Reign of Terror has acted as a catharsis for the band’s founding member. This hints at a different tone and style to their full-throttle debut, and when combined with Krauss’s first input into the song-writing element of Sleigh Bells (Treats was written before she joined the band), makes Reign of Terror the most hotly-anticipated release of 2012.

Launching into True Shred Guitar, we get pretty much exactly what the tin offers: guitars from another planet. As a whole, the record is a lot more guitar-driven than Treats, but True Shred Guitar takes that to another level – and it is wonderful. This power shift away from samples and towards guitars means the album takes on a less party-ready feel than their debut, something that was to be expected given its more serious undertones. Far from being sombre, however, the themes of suicide in Born to Lose, references to motorcycles in Leader of the Pack, and morbid song titling (D.O.A, Road to Hell, End of the Line) are contrasted with the positivity of Comeback Kid and the upbeat Demons to provide a brilliantly balanced record. The majority of Krauss’ vocal work on the album acts as a rallying cry, inspiring fight in her bandmate through his difficulties, adding to the cathartic feel of Reign of Terror: the dynamic of Krauss and Miller appears incapable of doing wrong, seemingly producing an album of unerring quality as a mere by-product of their friendship during a tough period.

If there were any area of the album to come in for criticism, it would be the ending: Never Say Die and D.O.A just don’t hit as hard as the earlier tracks. Without a Rill Rill to provide a breather, Reign of Terror can feel a little like a relentless assault, and these two tracks can feel like the tailing off of the record's energy. It’s the most minor of faults, however, and the only blemish in an otherwise flawless copybook. The shimmering, crushing guitars, the loud-quiet dynamic of the vocals, and a more refined use of samples and pedals have resulted in a pulsating, soaring ride of a record with more depth than their first offering – a devastating combination.

As far as notoriously tricky sophomore records go, Reign of Terror is up there with the best. The charm of early Sleigh Bells was that their sound was totally new and completely fresh, and the fact they have kept hold of that originality whilst making huge leaps forward in terms of song-writing, production and lyrics show real artistic merit. Reign of Terror will surely mark the band’s surge to the popular acclaim of Crystal Castles and the like. But, with their second top-class release under their belts and the most captivating live show on the circuit, the sky isn’t even close to Sleigh Bells’ limit.