The first time I heard Sleigh Bells, I thought it was some new dj who sampled and looped a few heavy guitar riffs together and made something explosive out of it.  It was later that I found out it was actually a band…well…somewhat of a band.  Sleigh Bells is a combination of Derek Miller’s heavy rock roots and Alexis Krauss’s simple attempt at R&B vocals (yes, simple).  Though catchy and head-nodding, the music itself doesn’t require too much effort.  Imagine a less-hectic brand of Mindless Self Indulgence drum mapping, hardcore-metal riffs, distant female falsettos, and a shitload of hipster attitude all thrown into an overly compressed pile of .wav files.  Sounds a bit annoying at first, but it’s actually pretty awesome.

Sleigh Bells began as a solo project to pass the time after Derek Miller left (hardcore band) Poison The Well, and was surviving as a bartender in Brooklyn.  He met Alexis via her mother as he was serving them in a Brazilian restaurant.  They met up later, recorded, and blew the minds of RayBan-wearing hipsters everywhere.  Ever wondered what happened to the scene kids from 2004 who grew out of their flat-irons and eyeliner, but still wanted to be trendy yet “unique”?  They listen to Sleigh Bells now.  As much of a fad that this band more-than-likely will be known as, they’re a great alternative to the Bon Iver’s and Foster The People’s of today.

Reign Of Terror differs from the previous album, Treats, in the sense that it isn’t nearly as heavy.  They made it a point to not do the same thing, as several of the songs on Treats sounded far too similar to each other.  As Treats was meant to push the boundaries of your speaker system, Reign Of Terror is to simply get your head nodding and focus more on melody, as Alexis is only slightly more audible this go-round.   The reduced explosions will disappoint many, but their sound is still prevalent.  Though not as eardrum-shattering, this album can hold it’s own.  You won’t like it as much as the first, but you will still give it solid rotations.  ”Comeback Kid” is a great pump-you-up, “End Of The Line” softens nicely when paired with “Road To Hell”, “You Lost Me,” and “DOA,” and “Demons” has a fantastic Dethklok reference (you will impress me if you notice it).

One thing you can definitely say about this duo – they’re original.  Actuall, originality doesn’t even matter too much.  Whether or not they stole their sound from someone else, the next time you hear a group that is not Sleigh Bells make songs with simple drum beats, huge guitars, and whispered lyrics, you will know them as Sleigh Bells ripoffs.  Solid album: 4 out of 5.