Megan O’Polka photo

Sometimes people think of great ideas, like mixing chocolate and peanut butter. Sometimes people get really ambitious and mix things that will either turn out extremely well or horrible.

That is exactly what happened when Sleigh Bells members Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss decided to mix heavy metal and pop music. Luckily for them it came out to be a match made in heaven.

Now on their third album, Bitter Rivals, the group continues to expertly mix the two genres as they expand into new instrumental elements.

Tracks like “Single Like A Wire” feature synths and tracks such as “Young Legends” offer some acoustic elements.

The major change about this album is that Krauss wrote all the lyrics this time around. Though most of the lyrics have the same sugar sweet, yet dark feel some songs like “Single Like A Wire” came out less then stellar.

This song feels like Miller was trying to make the Krauss’s lyrics fit with his instrumental work. This made the song end up feeling sloppy and disjointed.

Another new element to this album is the bubble gum pop feel on tracks like “You Don’t Get Me Twice” and “To Hell With You.”

I am not sure if this change occurred because of Krauss’s writing style or that the band realized that her vocal range works very well with that genre, but I think it acts as a breath of fresh air from some of the bands heavier tracks.

I would say this album is defiantly a runner up to their sophomore release “Reign Of Terror,” though the band has a much more polished pop feel.

I didn’t instantly fall in love with every single one of the songs instantly. Songs like “Single Like a Wire” left me unimpressed and questioning if Krauss should write for the band.

Never the less this album is still worth a listen.