My Champion starts with a stuttering riff that sounds like it’s about to break off into For Those About Tock We Salute You, before a cymbal crescendo introduces a guitar line that crunches with melody and menace in equal measure. Myles Kennedy’s vocal then lifts the song somewhere up towards the stratosphere as the song climaxes with a huge, cathartic chorus.
“The lyric was actually inspired by thinking back to my situation as a kid,” says Myles. “I was this really small, underdeveloped kid who had to work extremely hard to keep up with all of my peers. It was very frustrating. I would hear a lot of words of encouragement from parents, coaches, or teachers though.
“A lot of those things were stored away, and they manifested themselves in this song. I’ve been able to apply some of those concepts in my life a thousand times over since then.”
The Last Hero is released on October 7 by Napalm Records (world excluding USA/Canada) and Caroline Records in the United States/Canada. It can be pre-ordered now.
My Champion is also available on the free CD that comes with the new issue of Classic Rock.
- Alter Bridge's Show Me A Leader 'takes pulse' of society
- Why I Love Appetite For Destruction, by Myles Kennedy
- Alter Bridge launch Show Me A Leader single
- The Top 10 Best Alter Bridge Songs
A week ago Alter Bridge released a video for the first single from The Last Hero, Show Me A Leader. It was announced last month that Alter Bridge will tour Europe with Volbeat and Gojira in November and December this year. They have a number of remaining US shows over the coming months.
Alter Bridge remaining tour dates 2016
Sep 22: Destin Club LA, FL
Sep 24: Houston Open Air, TX
Sep 25: San Antonio Aztec Theater, TX
Sep 28: Minneapolis Skyway Theatre, MN
Sep 29: Lincoln Bourbon Theatre, NE
Oct 01: Janesville Sonic Boom, WI
Oct 02: Louisville Louder Than Life, KY
Oct 04: Charlotte Fillmore, NC
Oct 05: Nashville War Memorial Auditorium, TN
Oct 08: Tulsa State Fair, OK
Alter Bridge European tour 2016
With special guest TBC, Like A Storm
Nov 04: Bilbao Santana 27, Spain
Nov 05: Barcelona Razzmatazz, Spain
Nov 08: Paris Zenith, France
Nov 09: Brussels AB, Belgium
Nov 10: Amsterdam MHM, Netherlands
Nov 13: Berlin Columbiahalle, Germany
Nov 14: Vienna Gasometer, Austria
Nov 16: Katowice Spodek, Poland
Nov 20: Oslo Sentrum Scene, Norway
Nov 21: Copenhagen Vega Main Hall, Denmark with Volbeat, Gojira, Like A Storm
Nov 23: Manchester Arena, UK
Nov 24: London O2 Arena, UK
Nov 26: Nottingham Motorpoint Arena, UK
Nov 27: Birmingham Genting Arena, UK
Nov 28: Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, UK
Dec 01: Glasgow Hydro, UK
Dec 02: Leeds First Direct Arena, UK
With Gojira, Like A Storm
Dec 04: Frankfurt Jahrhunderthalle, Germany
Dec 05: Cologne Palladium, Germany
Dec 06: Hamburg Mehri Theater, Germany
Dec 09: Bolognia Unipol Arena, Italy
Dec 10: Munich Zenith, Germany
Dec 11: Basel Jakobshalle, Switzerland