5 Best Metal Albums Of June 2018
2. Alien Weaponry – Tū
If you’re a member of a band yourself, you may want to skip this penultimate entry, because not only are Alien Weaponry younger than you (with members all between the ages of fifteen and seventeen), but they’re also probably far better than you.
Despite their youth, this power trio have a unique identity all of their own, which is always the hallmark of a truly great group. Their debut album, Tū, establishes Alien Weaponry on the global music stage by introducing them as an outfit that unites the primal and tribal groove metal of Sepultura and Machine Head with the fascinating culture of New Zealand’s indigenous Māori people.
What results is a multilingual powerhouse of a record that not only kicks your ass six ways from Sunday as you experience it, but also teaches necessary lessons about colonial histories and persecution as it does so. Throw in a couple nu metal-esque melodies on tracks like “Holding My Breath” and “Urutaa”, and what we have on our hands is perhaps the best metal debut since Conjurer’s acclaimed Mire.
Tū is just a brilliant ride from start to finish, with so much working in its favour that it spells out a promising future for its teenage creators.