Nita Strauss, Sarah Longfield, Lions at the Gate

×

Expand

courtesy Sumerian

NIta Strauss and guitar.

Nita Strauss

The powerhouse Alice Cooper guitarist is on the rise, with a surging solo career that includes collaborations with vocalists from Disturbed, In Flames and Arch Enemy. Her second album, The Call of the Void, drops July 7, and shortly after that she’ll head out on a short series of dates with Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe, followed by a co-headlining tour with Rob Zombie. Madison native Sarah Longfield (“one of the world’s greatest seven- and eight-string guitarists,” according to Guitar World magazine) and Lions at the Gate (featuring former members of Ill Niño) open.

$30 ($25 adv.).

media release: Fresh off the news that she would be returning to her role as guitarist with the legendary Alice Cooper, Los Angeles-born guitar hero and musical force of nature Nita Strauss has just announced her brand new album The Call of the The Void, out July 7 via Sumerian Records. Pre-order it here. Get tickets for Strauss' upcoming tour dates here. Meet & greets are available here.

Regarding the album's title, Strauss shares, "Have you ever been at the top of a high building and had the fleeting thought, '… I could jump right now?'

"This feeling is sometimes called 'The Call of the Void,' also known as 'high place phenomenon.' It's not a suicidal impulse, rather the exact opposite — a subconscious decision to live your life, to step back from the ledge, and take control. As researcher April Smith aptly put it: 'An urge to jump affirms the urge to live.'

"I wanted the follow up to Controlled Chaos to be exciting, new, and fresh, to take listeners to a new place and take myself somewhere new as an artist too. We have some amazing collaborations on this album with incredible musicians, as well as the instrumental guitar music that first inspired me to play.

"Some pieces of music come into the world gracefully and easily. This album is not one of them! The Call of the Void was born kicking and screaming, a labor of love for sure, but also of blood, sweat and plenty of tears. I couldn’t be more proud of the end result. Making this album helped me learn and grow so much as a musician and songwriter and I'm excited to finally unleash it on the world."

Strauss has shared the new single "The Golden Trail," featuring In Flames' Anders Fridén. Listen here.

"When I was first learning how to play guitar, In Flames were my Beatles; my first favorite band," Strauss shares. "Anders' iconic vocal style is burned into my mind! To write a song like this and have him sing on it, as a kid who grew up with In Flames posters on my walls, is an absolute dream come true."

"“It was a lot of fun to collaborate with Nita on 'The Golden Trail,'" says Fridén. "She's an amazing guitar player and I can hear the history of metal flowing through her fingers!"

In Flames' fourteenth studio album Foregone is out now. It’s an unequivocal masterpiece from a band whose artistry and influence on modern metal is undeniable Foregone combines the greatest aggressive, metallic, and melodic strengths of the band's landmark records with the seasoned song writing of their contemporary era.