A second Black Star Riders album, "The Killer Instinct", was released in 2015, followed by touring throughout the UK and Europe during the remainder of the year. Gorham concentrated on a small number of Thin Lizzy festival appearances during 2016, and also began work on the third Black Star Riders album. "Heavy Fire" was released in February 2017, and Gorham confirmed his desire to create new music rather than simply continue to play material from his past, stating, ""I think it's important if you are a musician, or at least a serious one, that you want to start breaking new ground and not doing the same thing over and over. It's important to keep dipping into that songwriting well.""