Alien Weaponry look toward the sky with their new album.
Entitled Te Ra (“the sun” in Maori), it is their third and sees Henry de Jong (drums/vocals), Lewis de Jong (guitar/vocals) and Turanga Morgan-Edmonds (bass/vocals) consolidate their partnership with their longtime label, Napalm Records.
The trio attack with Crown, an energetic first composition that becomes even more so when the vocal parts come into play, blending their catchy groove with federative 2000s-inspired tones on the chorus and backing vocals, then move on without delay to Mau Moko, where the New Zealanders’ groove will wreak havoc in the pits. The sound remains massive and energetic at all times, letting clean vocals add that lighter touch before setting off again at full speed to an explosive final before the band lash social media out on 1000 Friends. Although the sound is still based on effective riffs, the vindictive message seems to come across well in the company of the lively, cutting rhythm that becomes heavier on Hanging by a Thread, creating a real contrast with the much calmer, but no less intense, vocal parts. The furious sound and Maori lyrics return on Tama-Nui-Te-Ra, which takes us back to the band’s earliest influences over a devastating groove that the band finds a way to reinforce before the final chorus that leads into the disturbing Myself to Blame. The guitar initially adopts melancholy touches, but the violence is sure to resurface for a short break, but the ballad comes to an end when we reach Taniwha, where the musicians team up with Randy Blythe (Lamb of God) to reinforce its fury and achieve one of the most explosive duets in Groove Metal. A siren warns us of the start of Blackened Sky, a track with fairly obvious Nu Metal influences but which fits perfectly with the trio’s touch and their cutting harmonics, then Te Riri O Tawhirimatea follows with the same raw power while returning to their ancestral language. We continue with a more complex touch on Ponaturi, which uses more and more leads to create a contrast with the quiet moments, but also modern effects before the album ends on the short but unifying Te Kore, which remains in this imposing mix from which the voices emerge, giving it this uniqueness.
It only took three albums for Alien Weaponry to get their own touch. Their Maori roots allow the musicians to draw inspiration from the Thrash/Groove/Metalcore scene while remaining singular, and I’m certain that Te Ra will play an active part in their ascent.
85/100