Alter Bridge have emerged as one of the great guitar bands in rock, and for this edition of Loudwire's Gear Factor, powered by Sweetwater, guitarist Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy dig into the music that helped launch their interest in playing as well as the riffs that have brought them fame.

As with many kids, Tremonti gravitated toward metal, as filtered down from his brother, through Metallica. He recalls, "When I was a kid, my older brother Dan used to listen to metal upstairs and I always heard the song about a sanitarium and it turned into one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite records, Master of Puppets."

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For Kennedy, he also leaned metal with another classic band, Judas Priest. "I was at a friend of mine's house. He was a drummer, but he had a guitar and I remember picking up the guitar, and he was like, 'You wanna learn how to play 'Breaking the Law'? I was like, 'Yeah, that'd be awesome,'" recalls Kennedy. "I thought it'd be way too hard cause it seemed so intimidating, but he showed it to me and outside of the first moment I had sex, that might be the best moment of my life. (laughs) It was just so empowering that I just played a riff, just played a song and that was the beginning of the guitar obsession."

When asked for the most iconic guitar riffs, Tremonti states, "I think the 'Smoke on the Water' and 'Iron Man' riffs are the two most iconic learned riffs of all-time. I'd have to go with those two. It's simple stuff, power chords, but you never forget 'em once you hear 'em." Kennedy, meanwhile, digs into an AC/DC classic.

The duo offer a taste of riffage from their upcoming Walk the Sky album, which is due Oct. 18. Tremonti reveals one song's John Carpenter-inspired loop roots, while Kennedy shares an anecdote of how the band's failure to appease producer Elvis Baskette led to an angry reaction, resulting in exactly what the band had been missing.

Take a closer look at Tremonti and Kennedy riffing away in the video above. Alter Bridge's Walk the Sky is due Oct. 18 and pre-orders are available here. You can catch them on tour at the stops below. Meanwhile, get all your gear needs serviced at Sweetwater.com.

Skillet, Alter Bridge + Dirty Honey 2019 Tour Dates:

Sept. 22 — Baltimore, Md. @ MECU Pavilion

Sept. 24 — New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5

Sept. 25 — Philadelphia, Pa. @ The Met

Sept. 27 — Columbus, Ohio @ Express Live!

Sept. 28 — Grand Rapids, Mich. @ 20 Monroe Live* (Featuring special guest BRKN LOVE)

Sept. 30 — Toronto, Ontario @ REBEL*

Oct. 03 — Worcester, Mass. @ The Palladium

Oct. 05 — Cleveland, Ohio @ Agora Theatre

Oct. 06 — Detroit, Mich. @ The Fillmore

Oct. 08 — Minneapolis, Minn. @ Myth Live

Oct. 10 — Chicago, Ill. @ The Chicago Theatre

Oct. 11 — Kansas City, Mo. @Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland

Oct. 13 — Manchester, Tenn. @ Exit 111 Festival

Oct. 14 — St. Louis, Mo. @ The Pageant

Oct. 16 — Mobile, Ala. @ Saenger Theatre

Oct. 17 — Birmingham, Ala. @ Avondale Brewing Company

Oct. 19 — San Antonio, Texas @ Vibes Event Center

Oct. 20 — Dallas, Texas @ The Bomb Factory

Oct. 22 — St. Petersburg, Fla. @ Jannus Live

Oct. 24 — Orlando, Fla. @ House of Blues

Oct. 25 — Orlando, Fla. @ House of Blues

*No Dirty Honey