2. Alter Bridge - Cry Of Achilles (4:40 & 5:38)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obcgU-oLjnA After three albums of solid gold, you might've expected Alter Bridge to calm down a little and rest on their laurels somewhat - but owning the right to slay stadiums worldwide meant they ended up doing the exact opposite, doing away with the standard compositional rulebook and opening the ground-pounding Fortress with this progressive track instead. Things get into legendary status come the back quarter though, as there's a two-part solo that's just spectacular. First up Myles Kennedy taps back into the mindset of the award-winning Blackbird's solo, shaking out some huge bends alongside some understated phrasing as the song dives back into another go-round of the chorus. Then though, it's Mark 'The Tremonster' Tremonti's time to shine, and boy does he show off how much playing for many hours every single day can pay off. The whole second solo is a masterclass in how to engage any listener, flying across the length of the neck and ending in a great little pull-off pattern that sonically takes the whole thing to another level.