Three Days Grace's Barry Stock Plays His Favorite Riffs - Watch

Our guest on this episode of Gear Factor is Three Days Grace guitarist Barry Stock, who plays his favorite riffs from when he was a kid through the band's latest music off Alienation.

Barry Stock's Early Influences

"I had three older brothers, so I listened to a lot of '70s rock and stuff and I think probably 'Stranglehold' by Ted Nugent was the very first [riff that made me want to learn guitar]," Stock begins.

Early AC/DC was another childhood favorite. "I was a big Bon Scott fan," he says. "I don't even know if I remember half of them, but, for me, that band was so great because they had such hooky riffs that were easy to learn right away."

"So as a young player, you know, it was really cool to sort of latch onto these simplified riffs that were really hooky and that really got me going, learning to play rock guitar," the guitarist continues.

Stock mentions that he didn't take guitar lessons. Instead, he surrounded himself with other musicians who were better than he was. That's where he built up his chops, playing with friends who were into Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.

He even idolized shred legend Paul Gilbert in his 20s. While today Stock is more focused on hook-driven riffs, "Back then though, I used to sit for eight hours a day and just practice scales and string skipping — that kind of stuff — repeatedly."

How Black Sabbath Inspired a Riff on Three Days Grace's "Riot"

Stock was introduced to Black Sabbath via his older brothers and he believes its the band's chilling eponymous song that was the first he heard by metal's founders.

"Believe it or not, when I wrote the riff for 'Riot', I kind of was thinking of the song 'Black Sabbath'. It's kind of a similar sort of thing with the bridge of 'Black Sabbath,'" the guitarist shares.

One of The First Three Days Grace Riffs Written in the Adam Gontier Reunion Era

"Mayday" served as the lead single off Alienation, Three Days Grace's first new album since reuniting with singer Adam Gontier.

Not only is it the first taste of new music in this fresh chapter — which finds the band also retaining the services of singer Matt Walst — it's also where fans can hear some of the earliest rekindled chemistry within the group.

"When we first got together and started writing last year, it was at my studio at my place and 'Mayda'y was one of the first songs we wrote in the first little batch when we started getting together back with Adam being back and everything," Stock shares.

Watch the full Gear Factor episode below.

Three Days Grace's Barry Stock Plays His Favorite Riffs

Three Days Grace — New Album + Tour Dates

Three Days Grace's new album Alienation comes out Aug. 22 on RCA Records. Get your copy at the Loudwire Vinyl Shop or via the shop button below.

A co-headlining U.S. tour with Breaking Benjamin will stretch from Aug. 29 through Oct. 12. For tickets and more information, visit the Three Days Grace website.