Nita Strauss on being labelled a ‘shredder’: “I like it. Give me the shred term all day long”

Nita Strauss has spoken out against haters of the term “shredder”, saying she is more than happy to be labelled as one.

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Strauss, who recently released her latest solo album The Call Of The Void, told MusicRadar that unlike some of her peers, she does not consider the term ‘shred’ a “dirty word”.

“I like it. Give me the shred term all day long,” she says. “Yeah, I don’t see the value in belittling anybody’s vibe. Whether you are down-talking people that play more straightforward rock riffs or if you’re talking about someone playing over-the-top fast stuff, they’re art forms. Art is subjective.”

“I know the debate you are talking about,” Strauss adds, “about shred being a dirty word, but who cares? If someone wants to play fast, let them play fast. If someone wants to play slow and melodic, let them play slow and melodic. There is no wrong way to make art.”

During the chat, Nita also spoke about her experience working with her personal hero and former Megadeth man Marty Friedman on the track Surfacing, saying “Marty was so meticulous on the song that we did together.”

“I have a tendency to be a bit slap-dash with stuff, like I take my time with it but I don’t go back and re-do and re-do and re-do it. If it’s good, I can move on from it. And Marty really took a lot of time with every detail.”

She adds, “Marty was like, ‘Hey, well you’re playing this note here, I think we should bend on that note there because it leads on better to what I’m playing on the next phrase. That sort of thing. It was really an honour, truly and honour, to get feedback from somebody I have looked up to my entire guitar playing career.”