Lionize, ‘Fire in Athena’ – Exclusive Song Premiere

Lionize are set to release their latest album Nuclear Soul on Sept. 8 and today you can hear a brand new song from the album, "Fire in Athena," premiering exclusively here at Loudwire.

What Lionize does best is creating a sonic weight in all their music, allowing tension to build up for full poignancy. On "Fire in Athena," the guitar work starts off in the acoustic realm, sounding extremely delicate in the beginning and embodying some of rock music's best. With a few drum hits, the drama soon begins to escalate in the track, before the song hits its peak, coming in fully electric and proud. The track features a bit of background organ while the guitar work twists up into the heavens, continuously escalating, before hitting a midpoint that leaves the vocal alone with the organ and guitar, imparting a sense of space and emphasis on the words, singing "Fire fire fire / In the streets." It's a thrilling track that's bound to inspire many.

Of the song, the band's singer-guitarist Nathan Bergman says:

"The song 'Fire In Athena' is very important to us right now because of the socio-political climate in the US at the moment. The song was inspired by a neighborhood in Greece called Exarcheia. In 1973 a violent clash between a brutal dictatorship came to ahead when tanks crashed through the walls of the Polytechnic Art College in the neighborhood - killing students who were peacefully protesting and existing as artists. There were massive riots and the neighborhood became a symbol of art, freedom and unity - to this day - the police, army and major corporations including banks are not welcome in this place. Everywhere you go in the blocks of Exarcheia is music, art, dancing, drinking and people living freely. We learned about the history of this place that dates back to the 1860's when the first uprising happened within the city limits. The song was written around the time of the US Presidential election and we started to see the danger in the rhetoric that was being spewed about causing high tensions across our country. In light of the recent events in Charlottesville the band feels the song sends a message of hope and strength and ultimately tells the story of an uprising and a call to arms for those that believe in peace, love and music. Spending time in Greece really inspired the band to examine what our version of Democracy really is and how is compares to several other countries we’ve been to on tour."

Nuclear Soul comes out next month on Sept 8 on The End records. It's set to be an extremely driving and exciting record, and if you pre-order it now you can get a download of "Fire in Athena" instantly. Lionize just finished some dates in Europe and will return stateside in September to play alongside Zakk Sabbath. Get touring info at this location.

Hear "Fire In Athena" in the player above, and pre-order Nuclear Soul here.

Lionize, Nuclear Soul Album Art 

Lionize, Nuclear Soul Track Listing

01. Darkest Timeline
02. Face of Mars
03. Fire in Athena
04. Power Grid Blues
05. Ain't It a Shame
06. Election Year
07. March of the Clones
08. Let You Down
09. The Mad Scientist of Sunshine
10. Nuclear Soul
11. Blindness to Danger *