ALIEN WEAPONRY

Growing up in public is seldom easy, but ALIEN WEAPONRY have made it look that way. The New Zealand trio first announced their presence in 2018, untutored but ambitious, and wasted no time in establishing themselves as a fresh new force to be reckoned with. Proudly proclaiming their shared Māori heritage, and even writing songs in the Māori language, they have carved their own esoteric niche in the modern metal scene.

At the very least, ALIEN WEAPONRY have been one of the most intriguing new bands to emerge in recent years. Their debut album, 2018's "Tu", was a solid introduction to the band's multi-faceted groove metal attack, and 2021's "Tangaroa" was the expected great leap forward. World domination may still seem a distant prospect, but everything about the band's third album suggests that they are in this for long haul and perfectly equipped to continue their upward ascent.

In reality, ALIEN WEAPONRY's songwriting formula is relatively simple. "Crown" sets the tone, with a succinct chunk of loose-limbed but brutish groove metal, chorus hooks and attendant melodies that edge towards the directly accessible, and an overall vibe of a road-wizened power trio with a surfeit of energy. Recent single "Mau Moko" is an even more effusive statement about the Kiwis' direction of travel. Spiraling in with a trippy guitar motif, it's a mid-paced bulldozer that neatly sums up ALIEN WEAPONRY's gentle evolution. There is no denying that observant listeners will spot the influences on display — a little TRIVIUM in the chorus melodies, perhaps, and a whole lot of SEPULTURA in the sledgehammer grooves — but this band stir their inspirations into a finished product that is utterly distinctive. When Māori chants and esoteric percussion worm their way into the songs, ALIEN WEAPONRY become even easier to love. When they take the more straightforward approach, on the razor-sharp and bright-eyed "1000 Words" and the dark and dread filled "Hanging By A Thread", a lack of embellishments works in their favor, simply revealing a band with fantastic chemistry and plenty of neat, subtly progressive ideas. But it is when they throw caution to the wind and lean as heavily into their heritage as they can, that they really start to sound like something special. "Tama-nui-te-rā" is a monstrous creation, redolent of a sun-scorched GOJIRA, but somehow more hypnotic, with syncopated riffs that mutate at will. Frontman Lewis Raharuhi de Jong sounds doubly energized when singing in his native tongue, and the deft use of vocal harmonies brings an otherworldly feel to a dense churn of guitars and grunts. "Taniwha" is notable for three reasons: a vicious vocal cameo from LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe, a chorus of almost comical hugeness, and a glowering atmosphere that seems to bubble up from the center of the Earth. Best of all, "Te Riri o Tawhirimāteā" showcases ALIEN WEAPONRY at their most imaginative and at their most proudly metallic. Built upon vitriolic thrash riffs, it segues from lusty, anthemic vocal hooks to spaced-out, melancholic, instrumental grandeur as Māori chants emerge from the ether, unsettling and mysterious.

If they were less concerned about being a kickass metal band with a future, ALIEN WEAPONRY could make some genuinely ground-breaking heavy music celebrating their culture and place within it. As it stands, New Zealand's hottest property is still getting hotter, and "Te Rā" is the perfect blend of neck-wrecking heaviness and atmospheric magic.