Sept. 18 — Alien Weaponry premiered the video for yet another single from its latest album, Tangaroa, this week.
The band debuted the video for its single, ‘Ihenga’ Monday. The song is the fourth single from the album, which the band released in 2021 through Napalm Records. The song’s release (and that of its video) was preceded by those of three other songs, most recently ‘Hatupatu,‘ which the band also premiered in 2021. Prior to its release the band also premiered the singles, ‘Tangaroa‘ and ‘Buried Underground.’
The video for ‘Ihenga’ is an animated presentation that according to information provided in a news release, tells the story of Ihenga, “perhaps the greatest explorer of the Te Arawa people.” The information adds, Ihenga was the nephew of another member of the Te Arawa people, Kahumatamomoe. Kahumatamomoe is an ancestor of the de Jong brothers, who are the founding members of Alien Weaponry.
The band explained the story told in the video through a prepared statement:
“When the Te Arawa people first came to Aotearoa (New Zealand) from Hawaiki (greater Tahitian Island group), they set about exploring the new land,” the statement reads. “Īhenga traveled throughout the North Island of Aotearoa and named many places that still have these names today.”
‘Ihenga’ is largely an instrumental track whose blending of metal and traditional native instrumentation once again exhibits the influence of and comparison to works from Soulfly and even Sepultura. The vocals that come only twice late in the song are sung by a chorus, which according to the provided information, is sung in the style known as moteatea. Moteatea is, according to the provided information, “an ancient form of poetry or chant sometimes used to convey who you are and where you come from by reciting your landmarks.”
In other news, Alien Weaponry is scheduled to perform live March 16 at the Homegrown Festival in Wellington, NZ. Ticket information is available here.
More information on Alien Weaponry’s new single, video, album and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Website: https://alienweaponry.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlienWeaponry
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlienWeaponry
