When you come out of the gate with a wallop of an album like Treats, the expectations for a sophomore release are staggering. If you look at the gambit of publications, the number of shows, if you succumb to the in-your-face hype that this what is important and popular (which let’s be real, most of us do), then Sleigh Bells had a nearly impossible task with Reign of Terror to create something simultaneously true to their sound, and totally fresh. Add to the equation some serious fan demand and life-altering family trauma, and it all add up to what could be a choking moment for any band. Yet, while Reign of Terror may not be the brash eye-opening stunner that Treats was, that Brooklyn-duo proved that they certainly won’t back down from a challenge.

      In an indie scene dominated by chillwave, hushed vocals and strumming guitars mashed with electro beats, Sleigh Bells emerges as an angry, loud, cheerleader-chanting mix of 80s-pop-meets-metal. They are a band with an 11 factor. It’s loud music you want to listen to, loud. They have attitude (swagger, if you will) that is different. They rock sports jerseys on stage, their songs lack a chorus, the songs are dense—yet, at the same time, impossibly catchy. It all works when it shouldn’t. CLICK TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE.

Review by Grimy Goods contributor Rene Riehl.