Alien Weaponry

Alien Weaponry
Origin Waipu, New Zealand
Genres
Years active 2010–present
Labels Napalm Records
Website alienweaponry.com
Members Lewis de Jong
Henry de Jong
Ethan Trembath

Alien Weaponry is a three-piece teenage thrash metal band from Waipu, New Zealand, formed in 2010 by brothers Henry and Lewis de Jong. The band consists of Lewis de Jong (guitar and vocals), Henry de Jong (drums), and Ethan Trembath (bass guitar).

History

Alien Weaponry was formed in Auckland in 2010 by guitarist and vocalist Lewis de Jong and drummer Henry de Jong who were only 8 and 10 years old respectively.[1][2] The brothers named the band Alien Weaponry after watching the movie District 9 and after moving to the small town of Waipu were joined by bass guitarist Ethan Trembath in April 2013.[3] Trembath replaced Wyatt Channings who had briefly played bass for the band the previous year.

In 2016 the band won both the national finals of Smokefreerockquest and Smokefree Pacifica Beats—the only band to have ever won both events.[4] They had previously come second in the 2015 Smokefree Rockquest, and been regional finalists for four years running. The band also toured with New Zealand chart topping band Devilskin on their "We Rise" tour in 2014 and performed at The Powerstation in support of Shihad in May 2015.[5][6] Alien Weaponry are believed to be youngest recipients to have ever received New Zealand on Air funding with their song "Ru Ana Te Whenua" in October 2015. They received a $10,000 grant to complete recording of their song and produce a video in 2015[7] and then another two $10,000 NZ On Air grants in 2016 to record their singles "Urutaa" and "Raupatu" and produce music videos.

In 2016 the band was named by UK Metal Hammer Magazine as one of New Zealand's top 10 hard rock and metal acts.

Albums

Alien Weaponry released their début EP "The Zego Sessions" and in August 2014 and began work on a new album at Neil Finn's Roundhead Studios in Auckland with record producer Tom Larkin in September 2015.[8][9][10] In November 2016 Alien Weaponry released their single and music video for "Urutaa" as the first offering from their upcoming album. February 2017 saw the release of their second single "Raupatu" and in July 2017 they released "Rū Ana Te Whenua".

On 1 June 2018 their album Tū was released,[11] debuting at number five on the New Zealand album charts [12], the top New Zealand album of the week.[13] The album had over a million streams on Spotify in its first week of release; and tracks from it were added to over 8,000 playlists worldwide, including Spotify's own metal genre playlists New Blood, New Metal Tracks, Kickass Metal and Thrash Metal Big 4 & Friends. Songs from the album were also playlisted by over 50 radio stations in the USA in its first week, with the band’s single ‘Kai Tangata’ rocketing to no.1 on the prestigious ‘Devil’s Dozen’ countdown for the Liquid Metal show on New York based Sirius XM toppling metal heavyweights Parkway Drive from the top slot.

Musical style and lyrical themes

Alien Weaponry's début single, "Urutaa", is sung partly in the Māori language and was originally about a clash of ideas and expectations leading to stress and unhappiness, which was likened to a plague or urutaa (an outbreak). The Maori lyrics refer to events that occurred in the Bay of Islands in the 1800s and what followed after a pocket watch was inadvertently dropped into the harbour. The misunderstanding culminated in the burning of the Boyd, a grim set of events in New Zealand's colonial history. Says the band "This incident is used in this song as a metaphor for the misunderstandings that continue to plague us today – between cultures, generations and individuals who torment each other through lack of understanding."

The band's second single "Raupatu" (released in February 2017) is about land confiscations by the New Zealand colonial government in the 1800s and the unjust legislation of 1863 that allowed it to happen. Their third single, "Rū Ana te Whenua" (the trembling earth), released 1 July 2017, refers to the mighty battle at Pukehinahina/Gate Pa in 1864 where their great great great grandfather, Te Ahoaho, lost his life.[14]

The band’s English material is equally controversial, with songs like "Hypocrite", "Rage" and "PC Bro’" calling out everyone from teachers and friends at school to the media for variously glorifying and destroying the lives of television and sports stars. “We listened to all sorts of music when we were younger,” says lead singer and guitarist Lewis de Jong, “but we were drawn to thrash metal because it’s quite complex music, and it is a great vehicle for expressing real stories and emotions.” “It also works with Te Reo Māori,” adds his brother Henry. “Both the musical style and the messages have a lot of similarities with haka, which is often brutal, angry and about stories of great courage or loss.”

References

  1. ↑ "Talented Waipu kids form band: Alien Weaponry". NZHerald. Northern Advocate. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Alien Weaponry Facebook Page". Alien Weaponry. Facebook. 18 December 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  3. ↑ "Talented Waipu kids form band: Alien Weaponry". NZHerald. Northern Advocate. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "Smokefreerockquest national finals results 2015". Scoop. Scoop. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "Shihad shoulder-tap a dream come true for Alien Weaponry". stuff. Fairfax Media. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "Review: Devilskin: We Rise Tour". NZHerald. Rotarua Daily Post. 25 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Waipu's Alien Weaponry lands $10,000 grant for thrash metal song in te reo Maori". stuff. Whangarei Leader. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "Are these teenage metallers NZ's next big thing?". NZHerald. nzherald. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  9. ↑ "Waipu's Alien Weaponry lands $10,000 grant for thrash metal song in te reo Maori". stuff. Whangarei Leader. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  10. ↑ "Alien Weaponry". Music 101. Radio New Zealand. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  11. ↑ https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/te-reo-thrash-metal-band-alien-weaponrys-album-t-hits-number-one-new-zealand-chart
  12. ↑ https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/albums?chart=4487
  13. ↑ https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/nzalbums?chart=4487
  14. ↑ Ashley Westerman (5 December 2017). "This New Zealand Band Is Trying To Save Maori Culture One Head Banger At A Time". NPR. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
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