“So many people don't understand how, as a lead player, I could idolize someone like Kurt Cobain, but for me, it's also about the songwriting and passion”: Nikki Stringfield has more up her sleeve than glorious shredding with the Iron Maidens

Nikki Stringfield performs with the The Iron Maidens at BMI Indoor Speedway in Versailles, Ohio on June 23, 2018.

As a longtime member of the Iron Maidens, 33-year-old Nikki Stringfield has been around the block, and most would assume she's primarily indebted to the '80s beasts she tames. But, with an equally strong love for all things grunge and fuzzy, Stringfield is eager to peel back the layer of her nightly shredding pyrotechnics and reveal her stellar riff-crafting skills.

“I have such a wide variety of influences, and I think it all comes out one way,” Stringfield tells Guitar World. “I was born in 1990, so I grew up with both '80s metal and grunge simultaneously and loved them both.