Monsters We Made

Description

A musical career is a living and thrilling thing – a sound moodboard of passions and influences that goes wherever the muse leads. For Kris Barras Band, formed in 2015 and led by MMA fighter turned musician Kris Barras, this muse has guided them from the beginnings of blues to a hard rock renaissance. The journey has been quite remarkable, having reached 5th place in the official UK album chart and 1st place in the Rock & Metal Album Chart with "Halo Effect" in 2024. This fascinating evolution continues on their upcoming sixth album, 'Monsters We Made', with a sound that continues to match the scale of the legendary venues they have played, including Wembley Arena and the Royal Albert Hall, while being compared to bands like Black Stone Cherry and Shinedown – which suits Kris perfectly. "We wanted big sing-alongs, big riffs, big solos," says the band’s leader about their creative ethos this time around. "The kind of hard rock that belongs in arenas – dense, complex, and capable of energizing the largest crowds." Such ambitions are easier said than done, but with the band's guitarist/keyboardist Josiah Manning producing, it’s a task that the Devon band – completed by bassist Frazer Kerslake and drummer Billy Hammett – has risen to. To witness this, one only needs to listen to the colossal opening track, which tackles the idea of being your own worst enemy and features what Kris rightly considers "one of the best choruses I've ever written"; or the epic ballad "Otherside", which touches both the emotional strings and the orchestral strings. "I like to think this record could unite our older and newer fans," Kris says about 'Monsters We Made', an album that will appeal to blues fans with its contrasts between light and dark, as well as to rock fans who want to headbang.