Modern day 'Comeback Kids'

On June 10, 2011, Alexis Krauss of the indie duo Sleigh Bells ended their performance at Bonnaroo and bid the crowd adieu, saying, “See ya in 2012.” The band then proceeded to pull its appearance from Lollapalooza due to inconspicuous “scheduling conflicts” and went on a seven-month hiatus until the release of its album “Reign of Terror.”

Their disappearance, although abrupt and sensationalized, heightened the anticipation of the record by a gajillion percent — so much so that I was worried they might “Gaga” themselves, building up an album only to underwhelm a large following.

Not so. “Terror” is crashtastic: a nerve-disintegrating example of what their opening track quite accurately calls “True Shred Guitar.” The two band members are frequently known for their “noisy” aesthetic, but “Terror” stabilizes, creating an order to chaos and a method to snappy beats and basketball stadium group-chants.

At times, songs such as “End of the Line” and “You Lost Me” seem to blend together, reminiscent of their previous success with soft, airy rock like “Rill Rill.” But as a whole, what they do is unflinching, using familiar, referential riffs your mom might call “kinda loud.”

Still, “loud” doesn’t do it justice. Whether it’s a song like “Crush,” a shiver-worthy clapping anthem, or “Road to Hell,” a cooing, sexualized pseudo-ballad worthy of a long road trip, “Terror” is a haunting portmanteau of satanic metal guitar and a starry-eyed story of girly love as told by peppy female vocals.

The album is an elongated rally call, an electrified croon of destructive youth and an album that truly leads, not follows. Sleigh Bells really are the modern-day Comeback Kids.