Alien Weaponry
2nd June 2018
Galatos, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Lara Marie.
To coincide with the release of their highly anticipated debut album Tū which was released on the 1st of June, thrash metal band Alien Weaponry threw an album launch party to rival most others. Their rise to fame has been phenomenal for a band so young, indeed two of their members are unable to even legally purchase alcohol in the very venue that they are about to perform in. But their passion and energy would give most seasoned bands a run for their money. A lot of it comes down to their sheer tenacity and work ethic; these three young men just didn’t suddenly pop up out of nowhere you know. Having formed the band in 2010 they have spent the last eight years honing their craft and it shows.
But before the audience were treated to Alien Weaponry’s only New Zealand show in support of the new album before the boys wing their way to Europe to play iconic festivals such as Wacken Open Air (yes you did read that right); some instrumental rock music was laid down before the ever growing crowd.
Average Mars Experience are a three piece instrumental group from Auckland who quite brilliantly create soundscapes that capture the mind. Formed in 2014 the group may draw a lot of similarities to post-rock band Jakob; yet they have a very distinct sound of their own. While remaining quite static in stage presence, preferring instead to let their music speak for itself, Noema te Hau and Tom Hatton hold the front line on guitar and bass respectively while behind them Damian Graham on drums keeps the wheels of the machine grinding with his impressive stick work. From songs dedicated to those in the audience that rock the beard (and there were certainly more than a few) through to their set closer, debut single ‘Jordan’, Average Mars Experience impressed and are another kiwi band well deserved of being added to the playlist.
As the stage slowly changed over, the punters chatted amongst themselves; while down in front a mass of bodies started to gather. Anticipation was riding high in the air; being an all-ages show there was certainly a very large contingent of teens who had come to show their support, the exhilaration of being in a venue that usually only sports age-restricted shows evident on their collective faces.
Taking the stage, Alien Weaponry were greeted by a wall of applause; while not exactly their first show having already supported bands such as Devilskin and Shihad and also playing the mainstage at Auckland City Limits music festival, tonight is their show and the gratitude of hearing that encouragement showed. As the powerful and haunting sounds of a waiata filled the room, both lead vocalist Lewis de Jong and bassist Ethan Trembath stood stoically gazing down upon the audience; drummer and eldest member of the band Henry de Jong hovering just above his skins.
Then all hell broke loose.
Alien Weaponry are a band who know how to make it heavy, and like a fine wine they have only improved as time keeps marching on. Over the past few years their sound has rounded out and developed a certain depth to it – a fact that will undoubtedly work in their favour as it propels them from ‘novelty’ high school band to serious contenders in the metal world. As the opening razor edged riffs of ‘PC Bro’ rained down upon all that were present, the mosh pit exploded; bodies raging against each other in joyous celebration of music created by their very own peers and friends.
“Auckland! We have been waiting for this moment for so long. We have spent three years trying to perfect this album, trying to do it right, and we have finally have. It’s awesome to be here and share this with you guys tonight!”
As a lead vocalist, Lewis speaks with the assuredness of a metal head veteran; and he plays like one too. Gone are the long blonde locks, Lewis adopting a now shorter cut that he still head bangs the hell out of like there is no tomorrow. Even a small technical glitch with Ethan’s bass is handled professionally, Lewis calmly advising the audience of the issue and filling the gap while it was quickly brought back into line.
Of course one of the biggest and in many ways most interesting aspects of the music of Alien Weaponry is the fact that they have incorporated their ancestry into their music. The de Jong brothers are of Ngati Pikiāo and Ngati Raukawa descent, a fact that they are most proud of. Like similar bands of the metal genre before them who have amalgamated their language into their music (Sepultura, Rammstein, Soulfly etc.) they have successfully mixed both the Māori and English language within many of their tracks to create something quite unlike anything else. Sure, tracks such as ‘Rage – It takes over again’ and ‘Hypocrite’ written about fights with friends and a particular teacher are in some ways the sorts of topics you would expect songs to be written about from a band of this age, but songs about battles held in 1864 or the revenge burnings of a ship and the massacre of all its crew…maybe not so much. And yet it’s these tracks that see the three piece grow in sheer ferocity on stage; as if the very spirits of their ancestors are there with them, reaching out to tell their stories to all who will listen. Watching a room full of young (and not so young) fans scream the words to songs such as ‘Te Ara’ and ‘Kai Tangata’ was beyond impressive. The New York political and cultural journal The Atlantic recently featured Alien Weaponry in a story entitled ‘Can a Thrash Metal Band help save the Maori Language?’ judging by the audience tonight the answer would be a resounding yes.
Throughout the set Lewis worked the crowd like a specialist, introducing songs and providing short, succinct stories behind them while simultaneously whipping the crowd into a frenzy and instigating both mosh pits and walls of death with ease. The young fans crowd surfed and stage dived with gusto, taking full advantage of everything the night had to offer; hilariously demanding the band play at least another “ten more songs” when Lewis announced their final track for the night. Finishing with an encore of ‘Ru Ana Te Whenua’ both band and audience were left sweat soaked and grinning, Alien Weaponry then taking the time to make their way down to the back of the venue to take pics and sign merch for their fans.
Alien Weaponry – taking New Zealand to their world
Alien Weaponry:
Average Mars Experience:
Were you there at Galatos for this high energy metal gig? Or have you seen Alien Weaponry perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- PC Bro
- Holding My Breath
- Rage – It Takes Over Again
- Te Ara
- Nobody Here
- The Things That You Know
- Kai Tangata
- Whispers
- Raupatu
- Hypocrite
- Ru Ana Te Whenua
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