Leonardo's Bride had been a buzzed-about band in the years leading up to their debut full-length, wowing crowds around their hometown of Sydney with a gloomy blend of hooky acoustic music and jazz-tinged rock. Angel Blood, which came out on Mushroom Records in early 1997 after a few production-related delays, showed how they could hang with all types of alt-adult artists. “So Brand New” is a surrealistic love song that has a goth edge thanks to vocalist Abby Dobson’s shivery wail, “Buddha Baby” is a knotty rock cut that recalls a more stripped-down Garbage, and the relatively sunny “Even When I’m Sleeping”—which was inspired by mash notes Dobson and Leonardo’s Bride guitarist/songwriter Dean Manning would leave for each other around their house—was enough of a folk-pop smash to be played at The Coffee Shop on Neighbours. Leonardo’s Bride’s seething take on what was becoming the wide-open genre of “alternative” fit in well with the sour times of the late '90s; while “Even When I'm Sleeping” was the band’s only true hit before their dissolution in 2001, the combination of Dobson's on-the-verge vocals and Manning’s songwriting acumen make Angel Blood a worthy cult classic.