It was only a year or two ago when I first saw New Zealand metal band Alien Weaponry. The trio of brothers Henry Te Reiwhati de Jong (drums/vocals), Lewis Raharuhi de Jong (vocals/guitar), and bassist, Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds impressed with a ferocity I rarely see in opening bands.

With their newly released third album, Te Rā, they have expanded their sound and even brought in metal hero Randy Blythe from Lamb Of God to guest sing on the song “Taniwha.” Hearing that they were opening for the Swedish metal band, Avatar, with a stop at The Fillmore Silver Spring I couldn’t wait to see this uniquely talented band.

Taking the stage, Henry and then Tūranga took the stage with a traditional Māori haka before wasting no time driving right in with “Rū Ana Te Whenua” from their debut, Tū. For a band with only three members, the sound and energy that was created was immense!

As Lewis and Tūranga rocked the stage, crossing back and forth, Henry kept a monstrous thrumming beat. Stradling the line between heavy, guttural thrash and spacey ethereal lines that include these beautifully crafted harmonies Alien Weaponry stand alone in a sea of metal bands.

Watch the official video for Alien Weaponry’s new single “Taniwha feat. Randy Blythe”:

In the relatively short set Alien Weaponry pulled primarily from the new album and their debut, Tū. Incorporating Māori language, songs like Mau Moko with those opening lines: Ono tekau ngā tau e kōkiri ana (auē) mō o mātou tikanga / He tata wareware te tuhi toi, I tata ngaro ō mātou ritenga / Koropehu ō mātou tōhunga, ka pēhia e te kuīnitanga / I parea mātou e te mana moko I āu mahi kino. Telling the story of the suppression of their language and culture through the years.

As Lewis told the crowd to jump during “Mau Moko”, the crowd reacted as the entire floor seemed to levitate followed by one crowd surfer after another – the place exploding with energy.

Telling the audience that there’d only been one other crowd they’d seen on tour that matched the energy from this Maryland crowd Lewis remarked, “It’s a Sunday fucking night and you guys are going crazy out there!”

The band ended with the thundering “Kai Tanagata” from Tū, one of my favorite songs on that album and one that I couldn’t help but keep hearing in my head long after the set had ended.

Alien Weaponry continue their tour with Avatar and they’re a band not to miss. They are one of the most unique and important voices in metal today.

The setlist included:

Rū Ana Te Whenua
Te Riri o Tāwhirimātea
Mau Moko
Taniwha
Kai Tangata

Check out more photos of Alien Weaponry rocking The Fillmore Silver Spring on November 23, 2025. All photos are copyright David LaMason: