Los Angeles born guitarist Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper, The Iron Maidens) recently spoke with Guitar Center and, in the clip below, reveals the impact that Dream Theater's breakthrough album Images And Words had on her playing.

Strauss: "The tone of 'Pull Me Under' is something that I think has influenced a lot of guitar players. I don't think that it's ever been topped by any album in history, so every guitar player, if you're not familiar with that tone, definitely go give it a listen because it's a beautiful, beautiful thing."

Strauss' critically acclaimed solo debut, Controlled Chaos, is an epic, 11-track journey of jaw-dropping technical proficiency and highly emotive songwriting. It went straight into the top ten on the iTunes Rock chart upon release on November 16, 2018 and debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top New Artists Chart, #3 on the Billboard Label Independent Chart and #4 on Billboard's Top Hard Rock chart.

Catch Nita Strauss live in concert:

May
14 - Charlotte, NC - Amos Southend        
15 - Greenville, SC - The Firmament (with Fozzy)
16 - Greensboro, NC - The Cone Denim Center (with Fozzy)
17 - Virgina Beach, VA - Lunatic Luau         
19 - New York, NY - Iridium
21 - Teaneck, NJ - Debonair Music Hall 
22 - Pittsburgh, PA - Hard Rock Café
24 - Detroit, MI - Token Lounge
25 - Ft Wayne, IN - The Club at The Clyde
26 - Evanston, IL - Evanston Rocks
29 - Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall     
31 - Louisville, KY - Zanzibar        

June
1 - Cleveland, OH - The Winchester        
2 - Buffalo, NY - Ironworks      
4 - New Bedford, MA - Vault at Greasy Luck 
5 - Stafford, CT - Palace Theater          
6 - Ardmore, PA - The Ardmore Music Hall (with Paul Gilbert)     
8 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance (with Paul Gilbert)

Tracklisting:

"Prepare For War"
"Alegria"
"Our Most Desperate Hour"
"Mariana Trench"
"Here With You"
"The Stillness At The End"
"The Quest"
"Hope Grows"
"Lion Among Wolves"
"Pandemonium 2.0"
"The Show Must Go On"

"Mariana Trench"

"The Quest":

"Pandemonium 2.0"

"Our Most Desperate Hour" video:

(Photo by Larry Dimarzio)