Kris Barras Band // Halo Effect // Album Review

The mighty Kris Barras Band are back with their latest offering Halo Effect, following up on 2022’s Death Valley Paradise which landed Kris a UK top 30 album finish. No mean feat in today’s music industry, I have been a fan of Kris for several years now following his meteoric rise through the murky waters of the UK Blues, Rock and Metal scene as he has navigated them like the pro he is.

Kris has managed to come from a professional fighting background to forge another career as a stellar musician working with the best in the business, covering Blues-Rock through to his own more Rock orientated brand of music that year on year gets heavier, grittier and better as he allows his sound to shine through with each album.

Halo Effect is a blistering tour de force, kicking the doors off the hinges right from the off. Kris seems to blend the melodic with the gnarly with ease, delivering a raft of hefty hard-hitting riffs all wrapped up in melodic sing-along anthems that you know are going to kick ass live. Speaking off he has a UK Tour kicking in support off April 6^th-20^th details are below.

I remember watching Kris from afar, (being based in Ireland) as he travelled the length and breadth of the UK clocking up the miles and building up his fanbase, eventually, I had the pleasure of catching him live at The Empire Music Hall I think 2019-ish, #mindblown I hadn’t quite prepared myself for the sonic assault that Kris brings to his live show and just how good a guitarist he was. I guess Billy F. Gibbon’s knows his shizzle after all. Who knew?

Halo Effect is an extension of Kris’ previous work with his signature sounds all over it but with a greater depth and quality to the songwriting and explosive guitar work that we have all come to expect and love from Mr Barras. You can get the modern sounds coming through with more sonic exploration through the songs with progressive hints popping up in his riffs, a more technical side to his sound that we previously haven’t heard Kris take on. It’s great to see Kris doesn’t rest on his laurels, stretching himself personally and musically and having the courage to do so from album to album. Production as always is stellar allowing you to fully absorb these killer tracks, with a heavy and relentless energy throughout you’ll need a little recovery time no doubt before you go back in a press repeat, but sure, isn’t that the sign of a great album?

Halo Effect is available to pre-order at earache.com/krisbarrasband, including colour vinyl (including a signed white & black splatter edition), signed CD, cassette, and on digital platforms.

Mark

 

Halo Effect Track List

Hourglass

Unbreakable

With You

Savages

Fall To Fly

Waste Away

Reflections

Secrets

Landslide

Fear Of Letting Go

Apocalypse

Bonus Tracks

(Only available on Piano & Acoustic Edition)

Hourglass (Piano Version)

Landslide (Piano Version)

Secrets (Piano Version)

Unbreakable (Acoustic Version)

With You (Acoustic Version)

Halo Effect is available to pre-order at earache.com/krisbarrasband, including colour vinyl (including a signed white & black splatter edition), signed CD, cassette, and on digital platforms. The indie store only CD, Halo Effect – Piano & Acoustic Edition, includes alternative artwork alongside 5 bonus acoustic and piano versions of album tracks. Pre-ordering that edition also grants entry to one of the intimate in-store events where Kris and Josiah from the band will do a short acoustic set and meet fans for autographs and photos. For start times, and to pre-order this special edition and attend an in-store event, click here. The in-store dates are as follows: Fri 12th Apr – Vinilo, SOUTHAMPTON Sat 13th Apr – HMV The Vault, BIRMINGHAM Sun 14th Apr – Wax and Beans, BURY Mon 15th Apr – The Jacaranda, LIVERPOOL Tues 16th Apr – Assai, EDINBURGH Wed 17th Apr – Assai, GLASGOW Thu 18th Apr – Beyond Vinyl, NEWCASTLE Sun 21st Apr – The Cavern, EXETER Mon 22nd Apr – Banquet Records @ The Fighting Cocks, KINGSTON Tue 23rd Apr – Rough Trade, NOTTINGHAM Wed 24th Apr – Rough Trade East, LONDON Thu 25th Apr – Truck Music, OXFORD * Thu 25th Apr – Rough Trade, BRISTOL * Fri 26th Apr – Derricks Music, SWANSEA * Fri 26th Apr – HMV, CARDIFF * * some dates will show more than one event due to timings For the full, electric live experience, don’t miss their UK headline tour in April 2024. Native sons of Devon, it’s no surprise that the band start off at The Foundry in Barras’ hometown of Torquay. Tickets are on sale here for the following dates: Sat 6th Apr – TORQUAY The Foundry  Fri 12th Apr – SOUTHAMPTON Engine Rooms  Sat 13th Apr – WOLVERHAMPTON KK’S Steel Mill Sun14th Apr – MANCHESTER Academy  Wed 17th Apr – GLASGOW The Garage  Thu 18th Apr – NEWCASTLE Boiler Shop  Fri 19th Apr – NOTTINGHAM Rock City  Sat 20th Apr – LONDON Islington Assembly Hall KRIS BARRAS BAND also headline the historic Chepstow Castle on August 15, 2024, with support from Stone Broken, The Hot Damn!, and Dan Byrne. Get tickets here. A former long-time Muay Thai and MMA pro-fighter, Kris Barras has his fans to thank for the conception of Halo Effect, which was written whilst riding the crest of the crowd response that the band experienced on their 2023 UK tour. “‘Halo Effect’ still keeps the essence of what Kris Barras Band is: big riffs and even bigger choruses,” concludes Kris. “It’s just that, this time, we’ve turned everything up to 11 and beefed it up!” KRIS BARRAS BAND comprises frontman Kris Barras, Josiah J. Manning on guitar, Billy Hammett on drums, and latest member Frazer Kerslake on bass.

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