Nita Strauss, “The Call of the Void.”

Guitarist Nita Strauss seemingly knows no musical bounds. From a successful solo career to playing lead for Alice Cooper and Demi Lovato, and as the official guitarist of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. She’s wanted just about everywhere. Strauss harnesses all of that breadth of experience for her sophomore effort, The Call of the Void, a record that showcases her work on the six-string, with vocals by some of hard rock’s biggest names.

While The Call of the Void is filled with arena rock anthems, Strauss doesn’t forget her bread and butter: laying down ferocious riffs and blistering solos. Right out of the gate, on opener “Summer Storm,” Strauss fuses a thrashy heaviness with a classic metal dual guitar attack. The song rises and falls from blasts of double bass to soaring melodic sections.

The brilliance of Strauss’ guitar work is that she can finesse both shredding and lyrical guitar playing. The dark and dramatic “Scorched” clocks in at more than five minutes yet keeps the light-speed playing to a minimum, finding a tone that matches the personality of the song. It’s dazzling and sounds like it could have been a session from Master-of-Puppets-era Metallica. “Consume the Fire” keeps the heaviness while also mixing in some more experimental elements.

“Momentum” builds exactly that; it’s a pounding heavy rocker that sees Nita Strauss briskly traveling the fretboard. The fifth and final instrumental track, “Kintsugi,” strips away the hard rock for a more nuanced take, allowing a layering of guitars to build the foundation of the arrangement. Striking a balance can be difficult on an instrumental track to avoid being too showy or too technical. Strauss brilliantly does what’s best for the song.

On the vocal side, Strauss delivers a who’s who of heavy music. Arch Enemy’s Alissa White-Gluz delivers punishing aggression and infectious soaring energy. The vocal tracks pay homage to the artist’s style while infusing Strauss’ personality. Chris Motionless from Motionless in White keeps the fiery energy rolling on “Digital Bullets,” with some of Strauss’ best riffing on the record.

Unsurprisingly, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale delivers the goods on the anthemic “Through the Noise.” The track is triumphant and memorable, a stadium-sized rocker mixing melody and aggression with a lively solo from Strauss. David Draiman collaboration “Dead Inside” has existed for quite a while, hitting No. 1 on rock radio well before the album came to fruition.

As the title might suggest, “Victorious” is the kind of anthem meant to be the soundtrack for a sports highlight reel. Dorothy delivers a powerful vocal performance that’s equal parts empowering and energizing. Once Strauss kicks in on the bridge, it reaches its crescendo. The record may hit its heaviest when In Flames’ Anders Friden enters for the brutally heavy “The Golden Trail.” Strauss is especially dynamic in adapting her guitar work to fit the style of the vocalist, from hard-charging thrash to more melodic hard rock.

Strauss’ boss Alice Cooper turns in a spirited vocal on “Winner Takes All,” an especially fun track. One of the album’s highlights comes from an unsung hero in Lilith Czar on “Monster.” She has a powerful voice and it’s showcased here more so than on her own material! She absolutely belts out both her melodic and more aggressive vocals.

There’s also a bonus track, a collaboration with fellow guitar god Marty Friedman, which is all about spectacle. The two blast out blistering riffs and shredding solos. This hard rocker is a great song to geek out to.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.