9/23/2023 0 Comments Alien weaponry brave words![]() Still, much of their appreciation of Māori music was instilled indirectly via the album Waiata of Bob Marley, a tribute album by the Māori artists Ruia & Ranea that was played often at home. “So we were very exposed to Māori music.” ![]() “We were taught haka, waiata and all sorts of songs at kura kaupapa as kids,” Henry explains. It’s a flawless crossover the half-shouted/half-spoken cadence of the haka blends seamlessly into the band’s gnashing attack, dissolving into both the main riff and the nu metal-style breakdowns that punctuate the song’s structure. The band is able, for example, to align the Meshuggah-esque sawblade riff that drives “Hatupatu” with the verses of a menacing haka (war dance) composed by Henry, who laces his beats with effortless touches of math-metal flair. (Both outgoing bassist Ethan Trembath and new bassist Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds appear on the album.) If you’ve ever longed for music that recaptures the progressive spirit of late ’80s/early ’90s metal without simply copying old blueprints, Alien Weaponry proves with Tangaroa that vintage influences can be approached with a fresh vision. Nevertheless, if suspicions persist that novelty played a role in propelling Alien Weaponry onto the world stage, the band stands poised to quash those suspicions once and for all with its new sophomore full-length, Tangaroa.Īppropriately enough, Tangaroa (named for the Māori god of the ocean) opens with the sound of waves and seagulls as a traditional paddling chant weaves through a cycle of repeating feedback tones from Lewis and tom-tom rolls from Henry, the first indication of the rhythmic highwire act the band sustains for the album’s hour-plus runtime. ![]() By the end of that year-having done the European festival rounds, toured the States as Ministry’s opening act, and featured in a Vice Asia segment hailing the de Jongs as saviors of a dying language-experience had stamped out any remaining traces of youthful amateurism. The members may not have been of age at the time of recording, but the sound was fully-formed and mature: a striking hybrid of thrash, groove and prog, spiced with culturo-linguistic elements that would sound enticingly unfamiliar, even to many listeners of Māori descent. There’s certainly charm in the image of a plucky bunch of kids causing a minor stir in their home country, but most listeners outside New Zealand got their first taste of Alien Weaponry in 2018 via the band’s debut full-length, Tū. Pre-order buy pre-order buy you own this wishlist in wishlist go to album go to track go to album go to track
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