Hard Rockin' Maori Teens - Alien Weaponry

When I was 17, my family visited the Polynesian Cultural Centre in Hawai'i. There were lots of neat things to see and fascinating people to interact with, wrapping up with a spectacular fire dance, but what stuck with me the most was the Maori exhibit from New Zealand. The humour expressed by our guide, the brief demonstration of the haka, and the spearheads depicting a grimacing face whose outthrust tongue made up the blade made quite an impression upon me.

So when YouTube's autoplay teed up a video depicting Maori history sung in their indigenous language, te reo, it got my attention.

The video is called Kai Tangata and uses text in the opening to set an ominous scene:

“In 1820, the great Northern War Chief Hongi Hika departed New Zealand for England. On his return, he brought with him the word of God and hundreds of muskets. Things would never be the same again …”

It is unquestionably metal, both crunching chords and powerful vocals invoking the relentlessness and adrenaline of clashing warriors, even with one side horribly outmatched. It's an immense wall of sound generated by three young men (in their teens at the time) who actually have Maori ancestry.

They call themselves Alien Weaponry, which I thought was a clever allusion to the muskets referenced in Kai Tangata that upset the balance of power between the northern and central Maori tribes of New Zealand. It turns out that the name was actually inspired by the viewing of the movie District 9 by the two founding De Jong brothers shortly before starting the band  - when they were 10 and 8 years old.

Listening to more tracks by AW, like Rū Ana Te Whenua, I was intrigued by how impactful the music could be, even when I didn't understand the lyrics. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised; after all, Rammstein is one of my favourite bands despite the fact I don't speak German. But knowing that the music is in a once-threatened indigenous language that is now making a resurgence gives it an even sharper edge.

I ended up downloading their album Tū through my YouTube music subscription, and while not every track landed with me the same way as the first two, more did than didn't. It is also nice to be able to sing along with the English lyrics in songs like Holding My Breath which will likely resonate with fans of nu-metal bands like Linkin Park:

To be completely honest, I am probably far too old, pudgy and white to be singing along with lyrics that contain so much teen angst or righteous cultural indignation, but I can't help it. Lead singer and guitarist Lewis de Jong has a clear and powerful voice that demands immediate attention and respect whether it is howling in English or chanting in te reo Maori. And despite being considered a thrash metal outfit, brother Henry's drumming is almost restrained by modern metal standards, complementing the percussion of the power chords instead of outracing or overwhelming them.

Sure, metal is not to everyone's taste, but consider broadening your musical palate with at least a bite of this spicy export from the other side of the globe - especially if you are going to be pulling up tree stumps or chopping logs.

For my part, I will be keeping an eye out for Alien Weaponry playing a gig anywhere within driving distance of me in the post-pandemic future.