Nita Strauss, the guitarist, is set to launch her second solo album titled “The Call Of The Void” on July 7 through Sumerian Records. The album’s latest track, “The Golden Trail”, includes a guest appearance by Anders Fridén, the vocalist for IN FLAMES, and can be listened to below.
Strauss provided insight into the album’s title: “The Call Of The Void” is sometimes described as the ‘high place phenomenon’, a fleeting thought when standing atop a tall structure of ‘… I could jump right now.’ It is not a desire for self-harm, but quite the contrary — a subconscious affirmation to live, to step away from the precipice, and seize control. As April Smith, the researcher, fittingly said, ‘An urge to jump affirms the urge to live.’
“My aim for the sequel to ‘Controlled Chaos’ was to generate something captivating, novel, and vibrant, to transport listeners to an unexplored territory and also to challenge myself artistically. This album comprises impressive collaborations with accomplished musicians, as well as the instrumental guitar music that initially inspired me to play.
“Some music enters the world effortlessly and with grace. This album, ‘The Call Of The Void’, does not fall into that category! It emerged with a fight, certainly a labor of love, but also of blood, sweat, and many tears. I couldn’t be prouder of the final outcome. The process of creating this album allowed me to evolve and mature as a musician and a songwriter, and I can’t wait to finally share it with the world.”
Regarding the joint effort with Fridén, Strauss expressed, “IN FLAMES was my first love, my BEATLES, when I was starting to learn guitar. The unique vocal style of Anders is permanently imprinted in my memory! As a young fan with IN FLAMES posters covering my walls, having him sing on a track I wrote is genuinely a dream realized.”
Fridén reciprocated the sentiment, saying, “Collaborating with Nita on ‘The Golden Trail’ was a delightful experience. She’s an extraordinary guitar player, and I can sense the lineage of metal resonating through her performance.”
“The Golden Trail” is the fourth song Nita has released that features a celebrated guest vocalist, the first being the incredibly successful “Dead Inside” with guest vocals from DISTURBED’s David Draiman. This song led to Nita’s recognition as the first solo female to secure a No. 1 hit at Active Rock radio. Nita also revisited her instrumental origins last year with the release of the fast-paced, emotive single “Summer Storm”. In October 2022, she launched “The Wolf You Feed”, a powerful track showcasing the remarkable vocal skills of ARCH ENEMY’s Alissa White-Gluz. More recently, in March, Strauss released “Winner Takes All”, with a guest performance by Alice Cooper.
You can pre-order the album here
“The Call Of The Void” track listing:
01. Summer Storm
02. The Wolf You Feed (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)
03. Digital Bullets (feat. Chris Motionless)
04. Through The Noise (feat. Lzzy Hale)
05. Consume The Fire
06. Dead Inside (feat. David Draiman)
07. Victorious (feat. Dorothy)
08. Scorched
09. Momentum
10. The Golden Trail (feat. Anders Fridén)
11. Winner Takes All (feat. Alice Cooper)
12. Monster (feat. Lilith Czar)
13. Kintsugi
14. Surfacing (feat. Marty Friedman)
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