New Zealand’s Alien Weaponry deliver a fresh, culturally critical groove metal masterpiece!
New Zealand modern groove metal trio Alien Weaponry will release their heaviest, most powerful and mature offering to date, Te Rā, on March 28, 2025 via Napalm Records. Since releasing their acclaimed debut Tū (2018), the two-time Aotearoa Music Award winners have been lauded for their kinetic presence and sound, as well as their vital blend of culturally profound lyricism in both English and te reo Māori, the indigenous language of New Zealand. Rising even higher with the release of their second acclaimed album, Tangaroa (2021), the band has amassed millions of streams, video views and success at SiriusXM Liquid Metal, was hailed the “future of metal” by Metal Hammer, and has performed with the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Gojira, Slayer and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, the band capped off 2024 with the release of a documentary film, Kua Tupu Te Ara, which premiered at the renowned Tribeca Film Festival.
Entering 2025, Alien Weaponry expand on their hallmark messages of cultural, societal and environmental resilience while delivering their most massive-sounding, focused musical output ever. In the hands of veteran producer/mixer Josh Wilbur (Lamb Of God, Gojira, Megadeth), Te Rā’s gnashing blend of groove, nu, math and thrash metal shines with anthemic choruses and refreshed technical skill of frontman/guitarist Lewis Raharuhi de Jong, drummer Henry Te Reiwhati de Jong and bassist Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds. Listeners can hear the band doubling-down on the aggression in the verses before applying temperance, especially in the case of “Taniwha”, a death metal-leaning banger featuring a particularly raw guest vocal from longtime Alien Weaponry champion Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God. Lyrically, there’s a noticeable tilt towards despondency, hopelessness, and frustration on Te Rā. While Tūranga’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 Lewis’ 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” and “1000 Friends”, Lewis addresses universal woes like the looming threat of World War III and the damaging effects of social media. 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. As the lyrics honor the traditional Māori practice of face tattooing, they also delve into the social costs of maintaining customs that are at-odds with dominant cultural norms. 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.
With Te Rā, 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.
Te Rā Tracklist: 1. Crown 2. Mau Moko 3. 1000 Friends 4. Hanging by a Thread 5. Tama-nui-te-rā 6. Myself to Blame 7. Taniwha (feat. Randy Blythe) 8. Blackened Sky 9. Te Riri o Tāwhirimātea 10. Ponaturi 11.Te Kore
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
