Acclaimed guitarist Nita Strauss made a name for herself playing alongside big names like Alice Cooper and Demi Lovato, but has also been equally successful as a solo act. 2018’s Controlled Chaos (also out on Sumerian) was an excellent solo debut that lent itself just as strongly to the live scene. Where the debut saw her really spread her wings solo, for her sophomore effort The Call of the Void, she brought in a slew of outside talent to help grab some added ears – a veritable who’s who of the modern rock/metal scene – and it certainly paid off.
Admittedly, sometimes when a guitarist brings in a ton of different vocalists for a solo album, it can lead to it sounding disjointed. You lose the instrumentalist in bringing the vocal talent in. Rest assured, this is not what happens on The Call of the Void. Most impressively, the star of this release (and rightfully so) is still Strauss herself. Following the shred-tastic and energy building of opening instrumental “Summer Storm,” the first of eight tracks to feature vocals kicks off, this time with Alissa White-Gluz at the helm for “The Wolf You Feed” kicking up the accelerator even further. Chris Motionless takes the mic for the melodic “Digital Bullets,” a more melodic yet heavy rumbling number that tapers the waters to the more hard-rocking Lzzy Hale-led “Through the Noise.” Given these three tracks and the variety present, how does Strauss keep it from sounding like a modern rock sampler? Simple – she keeps the focus on her guitar playing – the constant that holds it all together. The songs, despite their tempos and vibes, all feel catered to allowing her the freedom to maintain the spotlight, even if she has to do it against big names like David Draiman or even Alice Cooper. Strauss swirls guitar melodies around Anders Friden on “The Golden Trail,” and avoids making it sound like an In Flames track – the driving melodies are there, but with Strauss’s personality coming across easily in the guitarwork, it retains the notion that he is appearing on a Strauss song, not her guesting on an In Flames song. That distinction makes for some really fun songs, watching her play to the strengths of each vocalist but putting her own spin on the instrumentation.
Successfully bringing on-board a loud of A-list vocal talent for a guitarist solo record could have spelled some overshadowing, but Nita Strauss easily comes out the victor. The Call of the Void is a heavy and diverse offering, augmented by the vocal talent instead of being overtaken by it. Fun, melodic numbers and some scorching solo tracks make for an album that continues to showcase Strauss as being one of the music industries most consistent and compelling guitarists.