Die Antwoord VS Sleigh Bells

Die Antwoord & Sleigh Bells, two bands with distinctive yet dissimilar sounds who burst onto the music scene in 2010 have delivered their sophomore albums within weeks of each other in 2012.

Evidently without giving a shit   if people wrapped their heads around their first album $o$, Die Antwoord slapped us across the face with the unveiling of Ten$ion; the effortlessly raunchy, slang driven, unforgiving follow up their otherwise obscure debut.  Meanwhile the highly anticipated return of heavy guitars teamed with delectably coarse female vocals from millennial glam punk-rockers, Sleigh Bells was delivered in the form of Reign of Terror a few weeks later.

 Undoubtedly gnawing at stress levels, Never Le Nekmise the first track off of Ten$ion serves as an abrasive, loud and vulgar warning of what’s in store while Reign of Terror opens with True Shred Guitar; a track which travels down the live recording mirage but falls short of the promise of true guitar shredding  beyond the title’s matching chorus. Both ladies steal the show within their respected 2012 releases;  bad ass Yo-Landi Vi$$er spits nearly uncompprehensible South African slang on Baby’s on Fire  she does make it is clear that she's a force to be reckoned with and Bells' belle, Alexis Krauss dominates on Demons;  with noises materializing  from heavy metal riffs and rough lyrics reminiscent of  tracks which sparked initial interest on Treats.

Never Le Nekmise is reprised at the end of Ten$ion with adolescent rave beats teamed with minimal lyrics that are spoken rather than rapped making it completely different song than the album's introductory track with the same title. The song D.O.A concludes the second album from  Sleigh Bells suggesting that you remember who you are, a recommended medicine for its perpetrators.

Though Die Antwoord and Sleigh Bells run pretty parallel these bands do share some similar traits; the most obvious being the fact that they are both unisex acts. More recent resemblances are  the eye catching cover art featured on each of their latest albums: simple white images with a splash of crimson. And last, but certainly not least, both have either collaborated with and or toured with the always controversial artist M.I.A.

Musicians may be coming into their own the second time around but quite often fans anticipate sophomore albums to reconnect them to sounds that have already been established. So while Sleigh Bells' take on romantic teenage angst got lost in a sophmoric haze rather than a terrorizing reign  Ten$ion brought Die Antwoord to the top of the class.