Harry Big Button – Perfect Storm
A little over a year after the release of their last album, South Korea’s Harry Big Button is back with a new EP called “Perfect Storm.” I have had the pleasure of reviewing the band’s previous two releases, so I was excited to get an email from main-man Sungsoo Lee delivering me a copy of “Perfect Storm.”
The last time I spoke with Sungsoo he was still in the process of recovering from a bad traffic accident, so I was glad to learn from his email that he is now fully recovered and rocking harder than ever. That’s great news, man!
“Perfect Storm” contains five new songs and I could tell almost right away that the band’s sound has evolved a little more even in this past year. Last year when I reviewed “King’s Life” I noted that it seemed a little bit heavier than 2011’s “Hard ‘N’ Loud.” Once again I feel like Sungsoo is perhaps pushing the heavy envelope even further with “Perfect Storm.”
The songs still feature the cool, heavy riffs I have come to expect from Harry Big Button, but they seem just a little bit more aggressive than in the past. I’ve always felt their songs, while heavy, were also very hard rock and blues influenced. I still hear that, but I swear I’m also picking up a little punk rock attitude too, or maybe a little Motörhead going on or something. Not in all the songs, but once in a while I hear it.
That brings me to Sungsoo’s vocal delivery. My favorite aspect of Harry Big Button’s sound has always been the vocals. Sungsoo’s voice is deep and clear and he just make’s singing sound so effortless. His vocals on “King’s Life” blew me away with how great they sounded. This time around he does all that and more. Perhaps it’s a bit of that punk rock thing I just mentioned, but his already incredible voice sometimes now has a more gritty edge to it that adds even more heaviness to some of the songs. Some of his semi-spoken passages almost sound like a British punk snarl; that’s pretty cool.
The first four songs are pretty heavy and rocking, but then the final song, title track, “Perfect Storm” slows things down a little and starts off with some quiet guitars and beautiful vocals that remind me of a great 90s band from Windsor, Ontario called The Tea Party. The similarities vanish once the song kicks into heavier gear, but by that point it is clear that “Perfect Storm” is the most diverse and dynamic song on the EP. This is the “perfect” song to close with.
Congratulations to Sungsoo Lee and Harry Big Button on yet another excellent release. Make sure to check these guys out. I’ve got the title track for you listed below, and at this moment you can also hear the live version of “Coffee, Cigarettes and Rock ‘N’ Roll” on the Metal Disciple homepage. Check ‘em out!