![]() They don't seem to understand that the current policies are there to help redress the imbalance that was caused after over a hundred years of colonization. The spoken excerpt at the beginning of the song is part of a radio interview by well-known Radio New Zealand journalist Kim Hill with Don Brash, a former leader of two right wing political parties, and current spokesperson for a lobby group set up to advocate removal of so-called "special privileges" for Māori.ĭrummer Henry de Jong: "It's kind of scary how many people share his views. Even though historic wrongs have supposedly been righted with compensation, when the same thing keeps happening it’s hard to believe there has really been a change." "The government’s words are like whispers in our ears, telling us lies, to hide away our fears!"įrontman Lewis de Jong comments: "These are just a couple of examples of the government not respecting the voices of the people, especially Māori. While previous hits "Rū Ana Te Whenua" and "Kai Tangata" have related to historic battles and injustices faced by their ancestors, "Whispers" raises much more recent incidences of conflict – the Foreshore and Seabed Act passed in 2004 and the Trans Pacific Partnership, signed in 2016. ![]() "We as Alien Weaponry want to get Māori out there to the world, in order to inspire New Zealanders to actually fight to keep the language," says Henry.Īlien Weaponry recently unleashed their brand-new music video for "Whispers" from their debut album, Tū. At home, at school, at work, and on stage, fans get a glimpse of the workings of a band on the rise, and their dedication to the resurgence of Te Reo Māori as it struggles for survival. They road tripped to Otaramare on the shores of Lake Rotoiti where the brothers reconnect with their iwi Ngāti Pikiao and Ngāti Ruakawa. In the documentary below, Alien Weaponry: Thrash Metal and Te Reo Māori, VICE New Zealand go behind the scenes to embed with the de Jong brothers Henry (drums) and Lewis (guitars and vocals)-and their "honorable brother," friend Ethan Trembath (bass). ![]() Signed to Austrian label Napalm Records, their first album Tū debuted at the top of the New Zealand music charts, and this past summer they played Wacken Open Air, the biggest metal festival in the world. Fast-forward a couple of years and the Waipu locals are well on the way with their songs of historical revenge and scathing social commentary. VICE first spoke to New Zealand thrash metal trio Alien Weaponry when the then 14- and 16-year-olds had clear plans for world domination.
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