Get Yer Bluesy Riff Rock on with Lionize’s New Alpha EP

Lionize aren’t a band we’ve written much about here on MetalSucks; they appear quite a bit in the archives, but mostly only mentions as a support act on tours with The Sword, Clutch, Kylesa, Red Fang and others. They’re not even really a metal band — although they’re certainly heavy — so why so much love from the metal community and so many bands who deem them perfect touring partners?

Because they rule, that’s why. Lionize are cut from the Clutch cloth, combining blues-inspired, hard rock riffs with danceable grooves and soulful vocals — and a touch of reggae that’s distinctly their own — and they even released their last album on Clutch’s own Weathermaker Music label. But this time they’ve decided to go it alone, producing, recording and releasing their new EP Alpha all by themselves. As you’ll hear when you press play on the stream below, they’ve done a great job; the six songs that comprise Alpha are everything I’ve come to expect from this band, having been a fan for some time now. The blues riffs are fantastic, but the reggae beats and breaks are what really makes this band special for me.

Stream Alpha below. The EP comes out digitally on December 20th and on physical formats on January 8th.