L-R: Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds, Lewis de Jong, Henry de Jong
Alien Weaponry
is a three-piece Thrash Metal band from Waipu, New Zealand. Formed in Auckland in 2010, the band is centered on brothers Henry and Lewis de Jong. A series of bassists have completed the lineup, currently Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds.The members of the band all have Māori ancestry and are known for frequently composing and performing in the Māori language and emphasizing their indigenous roots in their music, drawing many comparisons to Roots-era Sepultura. They signed a record deal with Austria-based Napalm Records in 2018.
Members:
Current:- Henry Te Reiwhati de Jong - drums, backing vocals (2010-present)
- Lewis Raharuhi de Jong - guitars, lead vocals (2010-present)
- Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds - bass, backing vocals (2020-present)
- Wyatt Channings - bass, backing vocals (2012)
- Ethan Trembath - bass, backing vocals (2013-2020)
Discography:
- The Zego Sessions (EP, 2014)
- Tū (2018)
- Tangaroa (2021)
Tropes:
- Band of Relatives: The trio is composed of the de Jong brothers as guitarist and drummer, plus a series of bassists.
- Horrible History Metal: They have a lot of songs about the colonization of New Zealand and battles between the British and the Māori, particularly "Rū Ana Te Whenua", "Raupatu", "Kai Tangata",note and "Urutaa". Turns out, Te Reo Māori is an awesome language to sing metal in.
- Lead Singer Plays Lead Guitar: All three members sing, but Lewis de Jong provides both lead vocals and lead guitar.
- Literary Allusion Title: The band's name was inspired by the film District 9, which, much like a lot of their material, dealt with relations between Europeans and indigenous peoples (albeit through allegory).
- My Country Tis of Thee That I Sting: "Whispers" criticizes the government of New Zealand for pretending to value the indigenous people but breaking its treaty obligations to them, and starts with a clip of a Pompous Political Pundit arguing that "no, actually, colonizing the Māori was a good thing".
- Mystical Plague: "Urutaa" (literally "plague" in Māori) speaks of the epidemic that broke out among the Māori-speaking Ngati Uru tribe after an 1808 visit by the brig Commerce commanded by James Ceroni, which they believed was a curse placed on them by Ceroni after he accidentally dropped his pocketwatch in the harbor.
- Social Media Is Bad: "Nobody Here" is bookended with audio clips from a news interview with ex-Facebook president Sean Parker discussing how the site was designed to be addictive. The actual lyrics talk about "Everyone watching but there's nobody here / Welcome to the abyss that is the Internet" and wondering if the real world even is real.
- Tribal Facepaint: The chorus of "Kai Tangata" describes the tattooed bodies of Māori warriors on the march.
- War God: The lyrics of "Kai Tangata" repeatedly call on Tūmatauenga, the god of war and hunting, as the Māori in the song go on the warpath against their enemies with British-made muskets brought back by their chief Hongi Hika.
