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9.0
37683
9.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
Reign Of Terror already feels definitively 2012 by way of reappropriating the decadent pop of the ’80s with a louder snarl and a deeper cynicism
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9.0
37989
9.0 |
Rave Magazine
Reign Of Terror has less of the hip hop beats than Treats, about as much of the stomping drum sounds, less of the distortion, as much of the reverb
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9.0
38484
9.0 |
FasterLouder
Simply confirms everyone’s first impressions – this band are something special
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8.2
37576
8.2 |
Pitchfork
The duo emphasizes the delicate elements of their sound that mostly got crowded out in the midrange of Treats' speaker-melting din
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8.0
37676
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
Now that they've proven they can get away with such a massive sound, they're out to see what tricks they can do with it
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8.0
37678
8.0 |
Under The Radar
This is an album to be taken in one 36-minute shot straight to the cranium, cranked as high as your ears will allow
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8.0
36897
8.0 |
Mojo
Over-exposure might result in feelings of disorientation and a headache, but that's likely just the way Miller and Krauss want it. Print edition only
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8.0
37373
8.0 |
Q
The songs are no longer pushed to the ragged edge. Print edition only
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8.0
37407
8.0 |
NME
The way they've leapfrogged their contemporaries in terms of ambition and scope is terrifying
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8.0
37567
8.0 |
Prefix
A musical mash that makes every other band in indie seem quiet, dorky, earnest, and most importantly, behind the times
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8.0
37570
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
With its legions of sampled cheerleaders and blaring guitars, Reign of Terror is ultra-stylish fight music
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8.0
59612
8.0 |
DIY
Whatever it is that's made 'Bitter Rivals' take this form, it's worked
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8.0
37736
8.0 |
State
There’s some genuinely radio-friendly material here, too, it just happens to be buried beneath enough of a scatty mish-mashed instrumentation that it can be an exercise in aural excavation to dig it out
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7.7
37719
7.7 |
Beats Per Minute
More than she was ever allowed to be on Treats, Alexis Krauss is the star of the show, anchoring the tracks with a vocal approach that almost carries the pair into dream-pop territory
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7.5
37703
7.5 |
The 405
An overwhelming album, an album that is very much in your face and proud of whatever sound it's chucking at you at any one time
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7.0
37722
7.0 |
The Digital Fix
Despite some of the shapes of these songs beginning to resemble 'proper', conventional pop songs though, the layers of noise continue to be thrown on top with gleeful abandon
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7.0
37914
7.0 |
musicOMH
Reign Of Terror is undoubtedly ambitious. The second half of the album does, at times, teeter on the edge of being overly gloomy, but there’s also a subtlety and variety that marks a significant progress from the band’s debut LP
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7.0
38023
7.0 |
No Ripcord
Reign of Terror pulls enough punches to match the pure entertainment of Treats, and manages to be emotionally engaging too
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7.0
37556
7.0 |
BBC
The way this Brooklyn duo whisks together loud and quiet elements is compelling
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7.0
37577
7.0 |
PopMatters
While Reign of Terror may not yield results that are as instantly and consistently compelling as Treats did, the latest album has the potential to grow on you
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6.7
37731
6.7 |
Paste Magazine
The sweet shoegaze ballad “You Lost Me” is the best thing here, and it’s the song that has the least to do with anything you’ve read about Sleigh Bells. So maybe they didn’t go far enough in straying from the blueprint they tried hard not to repeat
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6.5
37682
6.5 |
Bowlegs
Sleigh Bells are playing it exactly how they want, from stampedes to haunted, synthetic balladry
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6.2
38293
6.2 |
The AU Review
A mixed bag, one that never quite reaches the level of quality or ferocity that it could (and perhaps should) have
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6.0
38406
6.0 |
Entertainment.ie
Reign of Terror doesn't seem like an appropriate title for a collection of songs that are immeasurably more saccharine than anything that appeared on Treats
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6.0
37531
6.0 |
Evening Standard
An album that's irresistible at times and unlistenable at others. But it's never boring
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6.0
37832
6.0 |
The Irish Times
Other angles come into the equation to battle with the distortion and wild abandon on which they’ve built their kingdom
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6.0
37660
6.0 |
The Scotsman
Doesn’t quite live up to its unforgiving opening onslaught
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6.0
37563
6.0 |
The Observer
Having lost the shock of the new, this more tuneful follow-up privileges Krauss's pop instincts over Miller's mayhem
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6.0
36898
6.0 |
Uncut
Compromised by sanitised production. But these Bells still rock. Print edition only
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6.0
37188
6.0 |
The Fly
Whether ‘Reign Of Terror’ is as fantastic as it believes it is, we’ll never know. Sleigh Bells leave you no choice but to worship at their feet. The bullies
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5.8
37662
5.8 |
A.V. Club
On Reign Of Terror, Sleigh Bells is cornered in by its own sound, unwilling to risk more adventurous metal excursions or get vulnerable enough to fully embrace its emerging lighter side
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5.0
37583
5.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
The wide-eyed heavy metal idol worship that was so endearing in measured doses just feels cloying now
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5.0
37655
5.0 |
The Quietus
In increasing the volume Sleigh Bells have neglected to pay much attention to the melodies that should be at the core of this maelstrom
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4.0
37511
4.0 |
The Guardian
For all the ballyhoo about Sleigh Bells' sonic extremity, they're not actually noisy per se, merely uninterested in restraint, which is a rather different thing
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