New Zealand's ALIEN WEAPONRY recently released their head-turning third album, Te Rā, via Napalm Records! Today, swiftly following the announcement of their upcoming USA tour supporting Avatar with fellow openers SpiritWorld, the band has dropped a brand new music video for album single “Taniwha”, featuring an intense guest appearance from metal icon Randy Blythe (Lamb Of God).

In the video, the modern groove metal trio find themselves face to face with puppet masters of corporate greed and overconsumption, providing a thought-provoking backdrop to one of the album's most aggressive, death-metal leaning offerings.

Watch the video below, and make sure to check out the band's upcoming USA tour dates, starting November 5, 2025 in Phoenix, AZ!

ALIEN WEAPONRY says about the “Taniwha” video:

"We are super excited to share something we have been working on for a while.

We felt honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with the mighty Randy Blythe on our song 'Taniwha' off of our latest album, so it only made sense to have him be a part of the music video too!

We wanted to create something special for this one, and we are stoked with how it turned out!"

Watch the new music video for "Taniwha” below:

Order Te Rā HERE:

ALIEN WEAPONRY have solidified themselves as one of the greatest young metal bands of their generation with renewed musical tenacity and crucial messaging. Since releasing their acclaimed debut Tū(2018), the band have been lauded for their kinetic presence and sound, as well as their vital blend of culturally profound lyricism in both English and te reo Māori, the indigenous language of New Zealand.

With their third full-length album, ALIEN WEAPONRY expand on their hallmark messages of cultural, societal and environmental resilience while delivering their most massive-sounding, focused musical output ever. In the hands of veteran producer/mixer Josh Wilbur (Lamb Of God, Gojira, Megadeth), Te Rā’s gnashing blend of groove, nu, math and thrash metal shines with anthemic choruses and refreshed technical skill. Te Rā is a bold, unwavering cry for a future in which we can all take part in the legacy of peoples like the Māori and others all around us – people who, if they aren’t seen, most certainly need to be heard! Taken as a whole, Te Rā grapples with what it’s like to be caught in the pull of divergent cultures – not just for the descendants of colonized people, but for all of us.

ALIEN WEAPONRY USA 2025 Tour Dates:

Supporting Avatar w/ SpiritWorld

11/5 Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren

11/6 San Diego, CA @ The Observatory - North Park

11/7 Riverside, CA @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium

11/8 Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl

11/10 Seattle, WA @ Moore Theater

11/11 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre

11/12 Garden City, ID @ Revolution Concert House

11/14 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union Event Center

11/15 Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium

11/17 Minneapolis, MN @ Fillmore

11/18 Madison, WI @ The Sylvee

11/20 Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit

11/21 Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE

11/22 Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!

11/23 Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring

11/25 Huntington, NY @ Paramount

11/26 Boston, MA @ House of Blues

11/28 Allentown, PA @ Archer Music Hall

11/29 Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte

11/30 Louisville, KY @ Old Forester's Paristown Hall

12/2 Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theater

12/4 Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works

12/6 Tulsa, OK @ Tulsa Theater

12/7 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues

This Friday, March 28, New Zealand modern groove metal trio ALIEN WEAPONRY will release heaviest, most powerful and mature offering to date, Te Rā, via Napalm Records! Today, in celebration of this week's release, the band has unleashed one of the album's most aggressive, death-metal leaning offerings, “Taniwha”, featuring a raw, heavy-hitting contribution from longtime supporter and metal icon Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God.

Take a listen to the new track now – a special bonus listen two days in advance of the album's drop – and see below for insight into the track's inspirations! The new anthem follows acclaimed latest singles “Mau Moko” ("...top-notch technical thrash metal..." - Heavy Consequence) and "1000 Friends" ("a driving, riff forward affair that makes it super easy to bang your head to" - MetalSucks).

ALIEN WEAPONRY says about “Taniwha”:

“Lamb of God played a significant role in making Alien Weaponry what it is today and this collaboration with Randy Blythe feels like one of those ‘pinch yourself’ moments that our teenage selves would never believe possible. Randy’s lyricism and vocal expertise was an amazing addition to this song and we are beyond stoked to share this song/milestone with the world.”

Listen to "Taniwha” HERE:

Pre-Order Te Rā HERE:

On Te Rā, listeners can hear the band doubling-down on the aggression in the verses before applying temperance, especially in the case of “Taniwha”, a death metal-leaning banger featuring the particularly raw aforementioned guest vocal from Randy Blythe. Lyrically, there’s a noticeable tilt towards despondency, hopelessness, and frustration on Te Rā. While bassist Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds' lyrics in Māori on songs like “Tama-nui-te-rā” and “Ponaturi” draw from the themes of history, battle lore and mysticism that made the first two albums so rich, frontman/guitarist Lewis Raharuhi de Jong's English-language lyrics illustrate the impact when culture collides with disenfranchisement day to day. “Crown” and “Hanging by a Thread” take us into the headspace where struggle pushes people to the brink of desperation, while on “Blackened Sky” and “1000 Friends”, Lewis addresses universal woes like the looming threat of World War III and the damaging effects of social media. On album closer “Te Kore”, Tūranga dives into primordial nothingness at the root of the Māori origin story, while on “Mau Moko”, he finds the middle ground between these perspectives. As the lyrics honor the traditional Māori practice of face tattooing, they also delve into the social costs of maintaining customs that are at-odds with dominant cultural norms.