Nita Strauss, guitarist for shock rock legend Alice Cooper and formerly of The Iron Maidens, is gearing up for the release of her new solo instrumental album, Controlled Chaos. She recently spoke with Metal Wani's Chuck Marshall about the new album, touring with Alice Cooper, and the grind to make it as a professional musician.

Nita: "I wanted this first record to really just be - it's kind of a weird thing to say - but I wanted it to be just about me. I didn't want anybody buying it saying, 'Oh, she's only leaning on all these other guitar players. That's the only way she can make a record, by getting a bunch of guests.' I really just wanted to do this one myself. I have so many people I wanted to collaborate with, but I think the next record is going to be my chance to do that. The first one, I really just want to do on my own terms and on my own merit. And that's why we did the Kickstarter campaign. That's why we did this our own way rather than having to get label approval for, 'Is this artwork okay? Can I go on tour at this time? Can I say this in my interviews?' I just wanted to do one thing that was just my own thing. I think that's what we're accomplishing here."

In a new episode of the Guitar World series Like A Hurricane, Nita shows how she plays the solo for "I'm Eighteen" when performing with Alice Cooper. Originally released as a single in November 1970, "I'm Eighteen" was featured on the Love It To Death album in 1971.