The Bleeders: As Sweet As Sin

Herald rating: * * *

The Bleeders are a rare act. How many New Zealand punk bands can you name who have signed to a major label? Although alarm bells start ringing at the thought, the Westies' debut album As Sweet as Sin on Universal Records finds the band's raw energy intact.

Recorded in New York by Sal Villanueva (Taking Back Sunday) it still sounds rough round the edges, even though vocalist Angelo Munro has tempered his blood-curdling screams by taking singing lessons, and the rest of the band join in on the shout-along choruses like a renegade rugby team hyping themselves up for a match.

The only hint their time in the Big Apple truly rubbed off on them is the bitchy broad shouting obscentities in an American accent on Femme Fatale.

Elsewhere, tracks like Nightmares and Out of Time are proof the Bleeders can write songs catchy enough for an audience outside the punk clique. That's not to say they've lost their grip on their hardcore roots or that they've turned soft.

Each of these 14 tracks elicits the punch-along tunes, brittle guitar riffs and frenetic drumming that make their live gigs so chaotic in the mosh. And though their musical palette is limited, they keep things dark and unsettling from woe to go. Check out the vicious S.O.S. if you need convincing.

If anything, there's little variation between songs, which may say more about the genre, although the Bleeders have never been a cerebral, experimental band.

"Love and hate is all the same, it's just the way you play the game," Munro sings on Wild at Heart with bittersweet cliche.

Maybe the songs could have been reordered to avoid the songs, um, bleeding into each other but for the most part this is a winner.

Label: Universal