Kris Barras Band take us to Death Valley Paradise on their new album ahead of their show at The Leadmill, Sheffield this March

The Kris Barras Band are making their way around the UK once again, following the release of Death Valley Paradise which came out on 4 March, 2022 on Mascot Records. Coming straight off the back of a supporting tour with Kentucky heroes Black Stone Cherry across the UK, including a sold-out Royal Albert Hall in London, the band are hitting the road in March for their biggest UK headline tour so far.

But that’s not all, they will also be making their Wembley Arena debut as a supporting act for Thunder in May this year. Before that though, as part of their maiden headline tour the band will be playing at The Leadmill in Sheffield on Tuesday 22 March, 2022.

Death Valley Paradise was produced by Dan Weller (Enter Shikari, Bury Tomorrow, SiKth) and recorded at VADA Studios in Alcester. True to form they have returned with a heavier, darker, much more introspective piece of work that also delivers a much grander soundstage than their previous work at the same time. Evoking the big song, big voice, output.

In pursuit of a much freer sound, Barras decided to remove all shackles and began collaborating with songwriters, such as the heavyweights; Jonny Andrews (Three Days Grace, Fozzy), Bob Marlette (Alice Cooper, Airbourne, Rob Zombie), Blair Daly (Halestorm, Black Stone Cherry) and Zac Maloy (Shinedown, Tyler Bryant).

Death Valley Paradise started life as a song before its desolate themes of despair spread across the album, influencing the project as whole says the guitarist/lead vocalist, Kris Barras.

Death Valley is a place of extremes, where living things are said to not be able to survive.

"To survive and thrive in those circumstances and find your paradise in it. For me, it sums up the journey I've been through. As a musician, you were put into a place where it was hard to survive, and you had to do different things to keep it moving.

"For 18 months the world stood still and we realised that we didn't have control of ourselves anymore. "I had some really dark times. I didn't want to get out of bed. I didn't want to do anything. It was really tough," Barras says.

For the ex-MMA/cage fighter, there was only one way he could get through this difficult time and it was important that he re-focused his energy. "Once Covid hit, it was a case of 'anything goes’, and I don't give a f**k anymore," he says with no preconceived plan for the album.

Early 2020 was uncharted waters for all of us. "At first we thought, three weeks and it's over," he says. "I went through a cycle. At first, I tried to take it positively and then reality set in. I've been fortunate in my life in that I've been sad, but never suffered from anything that I would count as depression until last year.”

One of the shining lights of the period was co-writing. "It was a bit of a game-changer", he enthuses. Seeds of the songs had already been sewn in late 2019. "There were a few riffs we were playing around with on tour, and a lot of those early songs were heavy. I sat down with the label and said the stuff I'm writing is heavier, and they were completely supportive. “In my teens, I was pretty much only listening to Hard Rock and Metal so it feels completely natural and free. More than ever, this album is me on an LP. I do think I've gone a little bit darker and deeper on it. Writing songs about topics I haven't done before."

"I've thrown everything at this. It was tough not knowing if I'd ever be able to do this again. What am I going to do with my life? I've gone all-in. If I'm not this, who am I?” he says.

As part of their huge headline tour, the band will be playing at The Leadmill in Sheffield on Tuesday March 22nd.

You can buy tickets for their Sheffield show and the rest of their UK tour here: https://www.krisbarrasband.com/tour