Earlier this week, electric guitar virtuoso Nita Strauss kicked off a North American tour in support of her soon-to-be-released second solo album, The Call of the Void.
As one would expect, the Ibanez-wielding guitar hero's first couple setlists leaned heavily on the new album, and her 2018 solo debut, Controlled Chaos.
To round out her first couple of Summer Storm tour sets, though, Strauss – who has served high-profile stints as a six-string sidekick for both Demi Lovato and Alice Cooper – has been saluting one of her own guitar heroes, Dimebag Darrell, with a rousing cover of Pantera's groove metal/outlaw anthem, Cowboys From Hell.
You can watch Strauss perform the song with her band – which includes Kasey Karlsen on vocals – at the The Loft in Atlanta, Georgia earlier this week (June 14) below.
Armed with her Ibanez JIVAX2 'Ghost' signature guitar, Strauss generously shares the lead spotlight with her live guitarist, Johnny Young, before taking center stage.
A metal audience probably doesn't want to hear a 20-minute jazz-fusion take on Cowboys From Hell, and indeed Strauss doesn't stray too far from the iconic source material, though her sharp phrasing and ever-impressive technical acumen are on full display throughout the cover.
It's not the first time Strauss has channeled Dimebag's influence onstage, either. At the 2018 Sweetwater Gearfest, Strauss performed an emotionally charged version of another one of Pantera's trademark tunes, the hard-riffing Walk, in tribute to the band's drummer, Vinnie Paul, who passed away while the festival was occurring.
Between the release of her new album, her ongoing solo tour, and her forthcoming dates with Alice Cooper – whose band she re-joined earlier this year after taking a temporary leave of absence to tour with Lovato – Strauss has one busy summer ahead of her.
The Call of the Void is set for a July 7 release via Sumerian Records. To preorder the album, and see all of the guitarist's forthcoming tour dates, visit Strauss's website.
