Malaysia’s premier post-hardcore outfit Love Me Butch released their latest full length studio effort ‘Worldwide Transgression’ early this year to great anticipation. Their previous album ‘This Is The New Pop’ had already certified them as Malaysia’s cream of the crop in the post-hardcore/alternative local scene but that album was released 5 years ago and fans have been itching for more from the band. 5 years may seem like eternity but I assure you that the time was well spent by the band to release the best effort as possible.
‘Worldwide Transgression’ consists of 10 songs (if you take away track no 1 called Intro). Fans may already have been familiar with their songs such as ‘Come Out, Come Out’, ‘Generation S.O.S’ and ‘Knock Yourself Out’ as they have performed it before on studio sessions and we are finally treated to the studio versions of them. Older fans looking for another ‘Hollywood Holiday’ or ‘Barricade’ here may be disappointed as this album is heavier in general. However ‘Worldwide Trangression’ certainly does not fare worse, in fact collectively it is a much more solid release with a more mature sound compared to their previous effort. Standout tracks would be the 7 minute long title track ‘Worldwide Transgression’, ‘The Promise’ and ‘Generation S.O.S’ among others.
There are 2 factors which made Love Me Butch successful, namely Syarul and Wing Meng. With no disrespect to the rhythm section which holds steady on the bass and drums, Syarul’s soaring vocals and screams and Wing Meng’s creative riffs are what made Love Me Butch, well Love Me Butch. Syarul is absolutely flawless in this album with his vocals, providing strong emotions which listeners can relate to. Wing Meng on the other hand lets his fingers do the talking with some amazing work on his axe. ‘We Are All You’ve Got ‘and ‘Knock Yourself Out’ are some examples of his face-melting guitar work which are showcased time and again throughout the album.
Overall, this is one solid post-hardcore release. To be honest, I have always expected this to be an amazing album even before listening to any of the songs. That’s how high the standards Love Me Butch have set themselves for their fans and I can safely say majority of the listeners will enjoy this album. Non-listeners who are fans of Killswitch Engage or As I Lay Dying should enjoy this album as well. With the release of ‘Worldwide Transgression’, Love Me Butch must be regarded as the Kings of Post-Hardcore not just in Malaysia, but in South East Asia as well.
Band: Love Me Butch
Album/EP: Worldwide Transgression
Tracks: 11
Standout Songs: Worldwide Transgression, The Promise, Generation S.O.S
Sounds Like: Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying
Sounds Like: Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying
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