A blend of distorted XL beats and delirious rifftastic guitars has stood Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller in good stead for their first three albums. However, as is apparent from the opening clamour of this new album, the duo obviously reckon that a change of sorts is required to freshen the palate, sharpen the tone and avoid becoming formulaic.

The resulting album is full of curveballs that sometimes lack the coherence of Sleigh Bells' previous thrillers yet, for all that, often repack the band's sound in a hugely effective manner. Lightning Turns Sawdust Gold and Crucible are great examples of where this approach hits the target, both full of blissful abandon and huge walls of sound.

There are times when the shift to more considered techniques doesn't quite chime right and the band's swagger slips a little. However, it does show that Krauss and Miller are capable of going beyond their comfort zone. And that is something to be lauded. tornclean.com