Simon RushworthKris Barras Band — Monsters We Made (Earache)
Propping up the bar at Ramblin’ Man Fair around 2017, Kris Barras cut an imposing — and intriguing — figure.
He’d just wrapped up a set with US singer songwriter Caitlin Koch but the former cage fighter revealed the plan was to return to Kent as a main stage artist in his own right.
Sure enough, a couple of years down the line, Barras and his band bossed the Fair with a muscular set powered by heavy blues.
But who knew that a bold transition was already on the cards?
Fast forward to 2026 and Barras is fully reinvented as an alt rock hero for the ages, bolstered by expansive stadium-ready anthems and the beefiest of studio sounds.
Remember when Sixx:AM dropped the fabulous This Is Gonna Hurt — featuring Rushonrock favourite Lies Of The Beautiful People?
Monsters We Made is on a par.
And how about the first time you heard Shinedown’s seminal The Sound Of Madness?
Barras’ brand new record will elicit a similarly spine-tingling thrill.
Had this been Def Leppard in the early 80s then the outraged cries of selling out to the US would have been ringing in the ears of the Torquay native.
But all Barras has done is lean on the best of everything he’s learnt during the last 20 years to craft one of the most polished sets we’ve heard all year.
Long-time Barras band buddy and studio whizz Josiah Manning deserves a whole heap of praise for elevating Monsters We Made to the next level.
The production job is off the scale with every note, roar and riff amplified to perfection.
That Barras has never sounded better is beyond debate.
Nine years ago a chance meeting over an ale prompted us to earmark KB as one to watch.
Monsters We Made is the swaggering realisation of a rock and roll powerhouse with potential to burn.
Sealed with a Kris
Sonically The Kris Barras Band’s latest long player is stunning in its scope.
But there’s some serious lyrical heft here too.
Barras has always been a heart-on-his-sleeve songwriter and very little’s off limits for an artist who’s as mentally sharp as he’s physically tough.
Monsters We Made doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff: Kris’ mother passed away as recording got underway and there’s no escaping an overriding sense of triumph in the face of adversity.
The title track, Riot Of One and End Of Me are typical Barras: bold, confessional pieces that leave a lasting impression.
Power ballads Otherside (that piano-led outro!) and Unspoken are two of the most compelling songs here — on both Barras conveys deep emotion without ever wavering.
Once upon a time Kris Barras was a little known NWOCR hopeful feeling his way and finding his voice.
Now he’s the defining voice for the next generation of homegrown heroes looking to conquer the world and compete with Shinedown, Black Stone Cherry et al.
Monsters We Made is frighteningly good.
