Alien Weaponry: Tales Of The Ancestors
New Zealand’s ALIEN WEAPONRY erupted onto the metal scene with their 2018 debut Tū; their furious blend of thrash, modern metal and lyrics written in both English and te reo Maori being an immediate hit with many. Not only were they doing something new, but they clearly had the songwriting chops to back it up, all with an average age of just 18. While international touring is still very much off the cards, they’ve been able to resume something resembling a normal life at home in New Zealand as we catch up with them to talk about their second album Tangaroa as well as what drives them as a band.
“Our general lives have definitely changed a lot because of COVID and everything’s just that little bit harder or takes that extra little step to try and organise. It’s interesting to deal with, but I think we’ve got it pretty good over here,” drummer Henry de Jong explains.
“We did actually do a New Zealand tour last year, that was probably about six shows. And also we played a show with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra”, guitarist and vocalist – and Henry’s brother – Lewis continues. “It was meant to be two shows but, um, I decided to jump on a Lime scooter and break my thumb,” he sheepishly admits. The almost mundanity – or at least, normality – of being able to arrange and play shows in their native country isn’t lost to them at all. Nor is the giant impact they’ve had on the metal scene already, despite being such a young band with just one album under their belt.
“We never really thought it would have the kind of impact that it did!” Henry exclaims. “I guess with the upcoming record, that puts a little bit of pressure, as far as expectations go. I mean, we came out with our first album which people love and there’s that kind of, ‘are they going to fail with the next album or put something even better out?’ So, getting that kind of recognition is not something we took lightly.” They’re very aware of this, not just because of their meteoric rise but also the impact that their music has had for the visibility of Maori culture and heritage in its own way. Their opting to tell stories of Maori culture, as well as telling them in te reo Maori, was initially born of trying something new; as Lewis tells it “we were just kind of, experimenting and we actually wrote [our first song] to enter a competition. And we’re just like, what if we got Maori and mashed it up with metal because you know, me and Henry of course grew up speaking Maori and are Maori. And yeah, people absolutely fell in love with it, and we were like ‘holy shit!’ so we just kept doing it.”
They approach it in a humble way, and are grateful that the metal community has embraced them so wholeheartedly; not just because they weren’t sure if what they were doing would even be liked, but also because it gives them that platform to share stories that they’ve grown up with and are part of Maori culture. Hatupatu is the story of its titular character and his escape from a monstrous forest witch; he’s also someone that the de Jong brothers can trace their own lineage to. “He’s old, he’s from a very ancient time. He’s I think third generation in New Zealand,” Henry explains. But it’s not only traditional stories they tell; they also discuss modern issues, through the lens of Maori culture. Tangaroa takes its name from the Maori deity of the oceans and examines the disastrous impact of climate change on the sea.
They also don’t shy away from being clear in their own views on these, whereas others may shy away, instead seeing one of their duties as inspiring people to learn more and delve into these histories and stories. “It’s gonna be political,” Henry freely admits. “It’s something we’re passionate about and I think, you can’t really get away from it being political if you’re going to write a song about that [Tangaroa] like, you’ve got to have an opinion. But for us, when we write songs, it’s always about telling the story of whatever we’re writing about. It’s opening up new avenues for people to start conversations about new things.”
Specifically or them, it’s about demonstrating the importance of these discussions and not shying away from them. “In terms of colonisation of New Zealand, that’s more of a taboo topic for a lot of people who aren’t of Maori descent. So it’s opening up ways for people who want to talk about those things but don’t know how to start those conversations.”
Tangaroa sees the band continuing to evolve as they themselves grow as well as branching out thematically to cover a much broader range of history, from ancient Maori tales to modern day issues like climate change and the impact of colonialism on Maori people and their language. This willingness and desire to open conversations is more than welcome and surely, once they can return to international stages, their meteoric rise can continue.
Tangaroa is out now via Napalm Records.
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