Myles Kennedy unleashes 8-minute epic, The Ides Of March, the title track from his upcoming second solo album

Last month, Myles Kennedy announced his second solo album, The Ides Of March, sharing its slide-heavy lead single, In Stride. Now, the Alter Bridge frontman has doubled down, dropping the record's epic title track.

Clocking in at a whopping 7 minutes and 39 seconds, The Ides Of March is the longest song on the record, and sees Kennedy joined by longtime friend and drummer Zia Uddin and bassist Tim Tournier. 

Throughout, Kennedy nods to the titans of classic rock, with Led Zep-style acoustic lines, Rolling Stone-esque cleans and an overall composition reminiscent of A Night at the Opera-era Queen. You can listen to the track below:

“From a lyrical standpoint, the first half serves as a warning,” Kennedy says. “It paints a picture of a very dark dystopian future. 

“The title is a reference to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and the cautionary phrase, ‘Beware the Ides of March.’ The second half breaks from the bleak outlook to remind us that we can do better if we remember who we are and what we were meant to be. Cool heads prevail in times of change.”

“[This album is] definitely a little more plugged in, as far as the overall approach," he told Download TV last year. “Year Of The Tiger [Kennedy's debut solo album] leans heavily on the acoustic side of things and definitely has a blues vibe. 

“This continues in the sense that this is my opportunity to venture more into the more bluesy realm – especially as a guitar player. With that said, it's a little louder – it's much more plugged in. It rocks a little harder and there's going to be a lot of guitar silliness on it. So I'm excited.”

Take a look at the tracklisting for The Ides Of March below:

1. Get Along                           
2. A Thousand Words
3. In Stride
4. The Ides Of March
5. Wake Me When It’s Over
6. Love Rain Down
7. Tell It Like It Is
8. Moonshot
9. Wanderlust Begins
10. Sifting Through The Fire
11. Worried Mind