The long-rumored collaboration between Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith and Winery Dogs guitarist Richie Kotzen has finally yielded its first song, “Taking My Chances.”

Released under the banner Smith Kotzen, the song serves as a taster of what to expect when more details of the project are revealed.

You can hear "Taking My Chances" below.

“I think Richie and I complement each other really well,” Smith told MetalTalk. "He’s a virtuoso guitarist, but he’s got a great sense of melody – the whole thing just felt very natural.”

“We found common ground in classic and blues-based rock," Kotzen added. "We both come from that mentality. We’ve been writing and recording together for the past year, and I’m ecstatic with the results.”

While both musicians have hinted at their activities since at least February this year, they’ve been cautious about giving away too much. “I’m very excited about it, but I can’t say,” Smith had told EonMusic in August. “I’m doing a lot of singing, but the person I’m working with, we’re sort of splitting the vocals. But that’ll be coming. I’m very excited about it, but I’m sworn to secrecy at the moment.”

In February, Kotzen discussed a picture he’d posted of him and Smith together. “I don't like talking about things until they're finished, but if you look at the photographs and who I'm with, and that sort of thing, you could assume that there may be a collaboration in the works," he said. "It's very surreal, because it's a band that I grew up with. It was one of my favorite bands forever, and one of my first hard-rock concerts. So, it’s very surreal. Very cool.”

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