Reign of Terror is the second studio album by American noise pop duo Sleigh Bells.

The writing process for Reign of Terror began during the touring cycle for Sleigh Bells' debut album Treats in 2010.

[6] Sleigh Bells were rushed during the production of Treats and were unable to finish recording all of the songs they had written before they had to leave the studio to perform at scheduled tour dates.

During a live performance, Miller hit Krauss in the head with his guitar and some of the blood from the incident landed on her shoes, but the image was also "doctored up" after-the-fact for effect.

"[10] The remaining images in the album's liner notes are all related to Miller's family history—namely, a number of war relics from his grandparents.

The image of the Purple Heart, also used as the cover art for the promotional single "Born to Lose", was awarded to Miller's grandfather for being wounded in World War II.

[10] One picture that was featured in the album's liner notes that isn't a war relic is a photograph of a burning sugar cane field, which also serves as the cover art for the "Comeback Kid" single.

[21] Leading up to Reign of Terror's release date, Sleigh Bells went on an eight-day mini-tour of Florida with the DJ Diplo and the black metal band Liturgy.

"[16] On February 18, 2012, Sleigh Bells was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, and performed "Comeback Kid" and "End of the Line.

[25] The stage production for early tours in support of Reign of Terror was described by Miller as being, "so dark that it's hard to see the crowd.

"[26] The stage set-up consisted simply of a black-and-white American flag backdrop and a wall of stacked Marshall amplifiers.

[28] Because the songs on Reign of Terror have more guitar harmonies than previous releases, Sleigh Bells employed Jason Boyer as a backing touring guitarist for live performances.

[31] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone noted that the duo make tweaks to well-known rock genres from different eras in their tracks, saying that they "bring a proudly aggressive sass to all the heavily treated guitars – 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.

"[3] Priya Elan of NME praised the different styles the duo delve into that recall dark films and gothic music, concluding that, "[T]he way they’ve leapfrogged their contemporaries in terms of ambition and scope is terrifying.

"[37] Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine praised the duo for following their debut with a more amplified continuation of the formula they set themselves, saying that "they've met the sophomore slump head-on, fists and guitars raised, and made something like a respectable pop album.

"[40] AllMusic's Heather Phares said that while Miller and Krauss increased the qualities that made their debut a success with a polished sheen, she felt that the metal elements become unbalanced when the guitar riffs get louder, concluding that "Reign of Terror ends up being a fatiguing reminder of how remarkable a feat Treats was.

"[38] Michael Hann of The Guardian felt that the album was compressed with its songs' production lacking energy, concluding that "they're not actually noisy per se, merely uninterested in restraint, which is a rather different thing.

[49] All lyrics are written by Alexis Krauss and Derek MillerReign of Terror album personnel adapted from liner notes.