This Friday, March 28, New Zealand modern groove metal trio ALIEN WEAPONRY will release its heaviest, most powerful and mature offering to date, “Te Rā”, via Napalm Records. In celebration of this week’s release, the band has unleashed one of the LP’s most aggressive, death metal-leaning offerings, “Taniwha”, featuring a raw, heavy-hitting contribution from longtime supporter and metal icon Randy Blythe of LAMB OF GOD.
Take a listen to the new track now and see below for insight into the track’s inspirations! The new anthem follows acclaimed latest singles “Mau Moko” (“…top-notch technical thrash metal…” – Heavy Consequence) and “1000 Friends” (“a driving, riff forward affair that makes it super easy to bang your head to” – MetalSucks).
ALIEN WEAPONRY says about “Taniwha”: “LAMB OF GOD played a significant role in making ALIEN WEAPONRY what it is today and this collaboration with Randy Blythe feels like one of those ‘pinch yourself’ moments that our teenage selves would never believe possible. Randy‘s lyricism and vocal expertise was an amazing addition to this song and we are beyond stoked to share this song/milestone with the world.”
Since releasing its acclaimed debut “Tū” (2018),ALIEN WEAPONRY has been lauded for its kinetic presence and sound, as well as its vital blend of culturally profound lyricism in both English and te reo Māori, the indigenous language of New Zealand. With their third full-length album, ALIEN WEAPONRY expands on its hallmark messages of cultural, societal and environmental resilience while delivering their most massive-sounding, focused musical output ever.
On “Te Rā”, listeners can hear ALIEN WEAPONRY doubling down on the aggression in the verses before applying temperance, especially in the case of “Taniwha”, a death metal-leaning banger featuring the particularly raw aforementioned guest vocal from Blythe. Lyrically, there’s a noticeable tilt towards despondency, hopelessness, and frustration on “Te Rā”. While bassist Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds‘s lyrics in Māori on songs like “Tama-nui-te-rā” and “Ponaturi” draw from the themes of history, battle lore and mysticism that made the first two albums so rich, frontman/guitarist Lewis Raharuhi de Jong‘s English-language lyrics illustrate the impact when culture collides with disenfranchisement day to day. “Crown” and “Hanging By A Thread” take us into the headspace where struggle pushes people to the brink of desperation, while on “Blackened Sky”, Lewis addresses universal woes like the looming threat of World War III. On album closer “Te Kore”, Tūranga dives into primordial nothingness at the root of the Māori origin story, while on “Mau Moko”, he finds the middle ground between these perspectives. Taken as a whole, “Te Rā” grapples with what it’s like to be caught in the pull of divergent cultures — not just for the descendants of colonized people, but for all of us.
ALIEN WEAPONRY have solidified themselves as one of the greatest young metal bands of their generation with renewed musical tenacity and crucial messaging. “Te Rā” is a bold, unwavering cry for a future in which we can all take part in the legacy of peoples like the Māori and others all around us – people who, if they aren’t seen, most certainly need to be heard.
ALIEN WEAPONRY frontman/guitarist Lewis Raharuhi de Jong said: “We really stepped it up this time, as we understood that this album had to go further. We went through a lot of songs and scrapped entire sections of songs. We kept working them and working them until we got them right. Then, with the way we were pushing ourselves musically, I knew it was important to challenge myself lyrically as well. This time I delved into difficult emotional places and mental states. There’s a lot of existential dread running through the album, and I tried to find the right words to describe the indescribable.”
“Te Rā” track listing:
01. Crown
02. Mau Moko
03. 1000 Friends
04. Hanging By A Thread
05. Tama-nui-te-rā
06. Myself To Blame
07. Taniwha (feat. Randy Blythe)
08. Blackened Sky
09. Te Riri O Tāwhirimātea
10. Ponaturi
11. Te Kore
ALIEN WEAPONRY recently embarked on a massive North American tour with metal icon Kerry King.
ALIEN WEAPONRY is:
Henry Te Reiwhati de Jong – Drums, Backing vocals
Lewis Raharuhi de Jong – Guitars, Lead vocals
Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds – Bass, Backing vocals
Photo credit: Frances Carter
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