Alice Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss recently spoke with Guitar World about forming her new band, We Start Wars. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Q: How did We Start Wars come together? 

Strauss: "I've been trying to put this band together since I started playing guitar. I’ve always felt that female musicians were under-represented in the music scene. It’s not that they weren't out there, it’s just that there wasn’t a lot of all-female bands getting notoriety, especially ones with good technique and musicianship. I started out looking for great musicians and great performers that could elevate the status of the female musician. I met Nicole (Papastavrou/guitars) at a NAMM show a few years ago and after we started talking we realized we had very similar views. It was an instant connection and it's cool that we've finally gotten a chance to work together."

Q: How would you describe the band’s sound? 

Papastavrou: "I’d say it’s super melodic metal but also has a little bit of something for everyone. We wanted to broaden our audience not do anything too aggressive, but there’s still a little bit of heaviness in there."

Strauss: "There's a lot of crossover appeal. Nicole and I probably have the heaviest influences in the band, but when it comes down to it we make music a lot of people can enjoy."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

You can now hear "The Animal Inside", the very first song from We Start Wars, below:

"The Animal Inside" was produced by Nita Strauss and We Start Wars, engineered by Nita Strauss, mixed and mastered by Travis Huff at Nocturnal Studios.

We Start Wars will be playing their first show on May 25th at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

We Start Wars lineup:

Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper) - Guitar
Alicia Vigil (Vigil Of War) - Bass
Seana (aka Shauna Lisse) - Vocals
Nicole Papastavrou - Guitar
Katt Scarlett (Femme Fatale) - Keyboards
Lindsay Martin - Drums

(Photo - We Start Wars Facebook)