Music News - Teenage metal band, Alien Weaponry, to release new single
21 November 2016 - 0 Comments
Thrash metal band Alien Weaponry made
New Zealand music history this year when they won both the Smokefree Rockquest and Smokefree Pacifica Beats competitions. Now, they’re about to launch an assault on the airwaves with
their single Urutaa– being serviced to New Zealand radio today (November 21).
The video for Urutaa has just gone live, watch here
No ordinary three-piece,
these young metallers from Northland – 14-year-old Lewis de Jong (guitar/vocals),
his 16-year-old brother Henry (drums) and 14-year-old Ethan
Trembath (bass) – have achieved more in the space of a few
short years than some bands dare to dream of in a lifetime.
With a live show that both startles and awes their audiences, Alien Weaponry have
more than earned their right to be called the ‘next big thing’ in New Zealand’s
thriving metal scene. And if three teenagers with kick-ass attitude, commanding
as much attention as a five-piece band three times their age, wasn’t enough to
warrant hard out respect, the fact that many of their songs feature Te Reo Māori
absolutely is.
The band explains that Urutaa was originally about a clash of ideas and expectations, leading to stress and
unhappiness, which was likened to a plague or urutaa.
The Māori lyrics refer to specific events, which occurred in the Bay
of Islands in the 1800s, in which a pocket watch was inadvertently dropped into
the harbour culminating in what is now notoriously known as ‘The Burning
of the Boyd’. The historic incident is used as a metaphor for the
misunderstandings between cultures and generations, that plague society today.
Fittingly, Urutaa (produced by Shihad drummer Tom Larkin)
is a powerful, moving track filled with contrasts, that showcases the skill and
craft Alien Weaponry apply to both their lyricism and instrumentation.
Hailing from the small Northland town of Waipu, the lads from Alien Weaponry honed
their refreshingly unique sound and vibe while attending Bream Bay College and Otamatea High School.
Last year, the band received a $10,000 grant from NZ On Air and this year,
their blood, sweat and toil paid off with their history-making double whammy
win at Smokefreerockquest and Smokefree Pacifica
Beats.
Smokefree Rockquest judge Jeff Newton from NZ on Air: “[Alien Weaponry’s] use of Te Reo was
impressive. There’s really nothing like this in the world at the moment.”
And, the world is taking notice already, with the acclaimed UK magazine Metal Hammer recently
including the trio in its “10 Best Metal Bands from New Zealand” feature (Oct
2016), describing them as “One for the future.”
The release of Urutaa just adds weight to the powerful statement these three Northland teenagers have
already made and continue to make. Alien
Weaponry is like no other band that’s been before. Brace
yourselves for the storm that’s coming!
Alien Weaponry’s Urutaa is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music, etc. from
Friday December 2.
Smokefreerockquest
– 27 years of musical success:
Smokefree Rockquest is New Zealand’s only nationwide, live, original music, youth event. The series
of over 30 events provides young musicians with the opportunity to perform live
in a professional setting, in venues from Northland to Otago.
Smokefreerockquest 2016, powered by Rockshop, aims to motivate young musicians to prove their
abilities, to realise the opportunities available in music careers, and to
encourage their peers to support 100 percent original New Zealand music. The
original founders Glenn Common and Pete Rainey were honoured with the MNZM in
2013, and continue to lead the team that now runs this New Zealand institution.
For more information visit http://www.sfrq.nz/
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