Nita Strauss has shared the latest single from her forthcoming solo album The Call Of The Void and it features Dorothy Martin on lead vocals and a red-hot solo on her Ibanez signature guitar that offers an excellent case study in for any hard-rock guitarist looking to map out a box-office lead.
The track is titled Victorious. The vibe is… Well, the video is shot in a boxing ring, so the smell of liniment is in the air, US Olympian, and former WBO and IBF boxing champion Mikalea Mayer makes an appearance, and there’s even an underdog Rocky Bilbao character in the form of a 13-year-old Nita Strauss who is played as an aspiring shredder by Charlotte Millstein.
Of course, we know how that story ends. Strauss, who has enjoyed stints with x, and is now back with the Godfather of shock rock as touring guitarist, has become one of the electric guitar’s most high-profile players, which is why she has been able to enlist the help of Dorothy, Cooper, In Flames’ Anders Fridén and Marty Friedman in making this record.
Strauss described Martin as the “perfect powerhouse voice” for the track and said the song’s message is one of empowerment.
“Victorious” is the anthem I always wanted,” said Strauss, “a song about inspiring change, marching forward relentlessly, being willing to save yourself instead of waiting for someone to do it for you, and never backing down from a fight.”
This is shaping up to be a good year for the hard-rock and metal guitar solo. Nuno Bettencourt lit the blue touch paper with Rise, and Extreme’s new album, Six, is packed with some of the most audacious lead guitar you will hear in this or any other style.
You’ve got Paul Gilbert reinterpreting the Dio catalogue for instrumental guitar. Synyster Gates cuts lose with some blockbuster metal arpeggio’s on Avenged Sevenfold’s Nobody.
And then we have Strauss throwing the kitchen sink at Victorious, easing into it with some rhythm work on the whammy bar, warming everyone up on some eighth notes, before a big pentatonic and pick-tapped legato blitz ushering in an enormo-melody that takes the audience to the middle eight. It’s definitely worth studying for those looking how to pace and structure their leads.
The Call Of The Void is out on 7 July via Sumerian and is available to preorder now. It promises to be an all-star affair, with guests reading like a who’s-who of contemporary hard rock and metal, with Lzzy Hale, Alissa White-Gluz, David Draiman, Chris Motionless and Lilith Czar all joining Joining Cooper, Dorothy, Fridén and Friedman on the record.
