On November 21, 2014, the second album was named as The Killer Instinct and would feature ten tracks. Johnson explained how producer Raskulinecz had examined all the songs the band had written prior to recording, and ensured that the band "focused on the material to best represent Black Star Riders in 2015." The album release was followed in March 2015 by a 14-date tour of the UK co-headlining with Europe, supported by The Amorettes.
