Love Me Butch: Worldwide Transgression

By Penny Wong  •  05 Jan 2012 in Review

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Formed in 1997, Love Me Butch is one band that refuses to be labelled as a one hit wonder. Instead of sitting on the fame they had gained with their 2005 single ‘Hollywood Holiday’, the quartet strived for regional acclamation by touring most of Southeast Asia. The band has since opened for international bands like Saosin, Coheed & Cambria, Deftones and this coming March, will be playing alongside one of the most influential post-hardcore bands, Underoath.

Now, Love Me Butch returns with their latest studio album Worldwide Transgression.  With 10 tracks (excluding the 14 second audio of a dial up connection), the album kicks off with ‘Generation S.O.S’, an in-your-face track complete with blistering percussions, chugging riffs and Syarul’s signature vocals. ‘The Promise’ is one of the many standout tracks in the album. Catchy choruses and unique drumbeats aside, one can also easily mistake Syarul with Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones on this track!

The title track is an ambitious 7 minute-long anthem, to say the least.  With a blend of unique riffs and percussions complementing Syarul’s soaring vocals, ‘Worldwide Transgression’ is undoubtedly the best song on the album. The album ends with ‘Knock Yourself Out’, a heart thumping and headbang-inducing track that is perfect for a day at a hardcore gig.

Influences of bands like Killswitch Engage, Underoath and a hint of As I Lay Dying are visible throughout the entire album, but instead of blatantly copying whatever that is currently in trend, Love Me Butch has somehow managed to not only maintain their original sound, but take it to another level. Sadly that isn’t the case for the slew of new bands that had emerged over the past year.

Although a tad repetitive in the latter half of the album, Worldwide Transgression pretty much solidifies Love Me Butch’s position as one of the best in the local music industry. 

LISTEN TO: ‘The Promise’, ‘Worldwide Transgression’
IF YOU LIKE THIS YOU’LL DIG: Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying
RATING:  4

Show some love at www.lovemebutch.com.

TRACKLIST:

1. GENERATION S.O.S
2. IN HONOR & GRATITUDE
3. THE PROMISE
4. WORLDWIDE TRANSGRESSION
5. WE ARE ALL YOU’VE GOT
6. COME OUT, COME OUT
7. FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH
8. TRAGEDY
9. KNEE DEEP IN DESPAIR
10. KNOCK YOURSELF OUT