Ever hear the saying “back with a vengeance” applied to a band’s long awaited new album? It is a phrase that gets over used in the world of pop journalism but it could not be more appropriately used here. So, allow me that bit of ‘journalistic mediocrity’ when I say that Garbage is, indeed, ‘back with a vengeance’.

After 2001’s disappointing and underachieving, “Beautiful Garbage”, the band has found their inspiration once again; retaining the sound and hooks that brought them to the masses while simultaneously pushing into harder-edged territory. The album’s catchy first single, “Why Do You Love Me”, opens with a power chord sucker punch that commands your attention while making you question who, indeed, you are listening to. While there are a few techno flourishes here and there, including the pulsing guitar line from “Right Between The Eyes”, “Bleed Like Me” is a straight ahead rock and roll record. And with rock and roll, comes sex and with lead singer Shirley Manson, you can be sure that she oozes “sex” with every syllable. Getting the album started with the loud & raunchy “Bad Boyfriend”, Manson purrs, “We may not last but we’ll have fun till it ends, c’mon baby be my bad boyfriend”, to all would be suitors. Even on the slower tunes her seductive delivery is enough to get temperatures rising.

While high energy rockers are the focus here, the quiet moments speak volumes as evidenced by the somber title track, the dark anthem “Happy Home” and the beautiful, “It’s All Over But The Crying”. “Sex Is Not The Enemy” retains more of the band’s earlier sound, combining ballsy guitars with dance floor approved grooves.

It is no wonder why the band’s previous albums were so meticulously recorded, having three producers in the group but with “Bleed Like Me”, the band sounds like they are experiencing a newfound musical freedom, one apart from the high-tech studio toys. It is a much more immediate sounding record, one unhampered by slick production techniques where the band’s spirit and energy are transferred directly to the listener.

With this amount of change it is heartening to know that the band still sounds like, well, Garbage. And that’s a good thing.