Interview by Ali Williams
Alien Weaponry might have been speaking to HEAVY from Barcelona only a couple of hours after leaving the stage, but there was nothing flat about the energy. If anything, the interview captured a band running on that familiar touring cocktail of adrenaline, sleep deprivation and sheer gratitude for being able to do the thing in the first place.
Midway through a European run with Avatar, the New Zealand trio sounded road-hardened but still properly hungry, laughing their way through stories of disrupted schedules, long drives and the weird limbo that hits when a tour suddenly loses momentum. After a run of cancellations due to illness in the headlining camp, Alien Weaponry found themselves stuck in the rare position of wanting less sightseeing and more stage time. A deeply metal problem, really.
That restless energy says a lot about where Alien Weaponry are at right now. What began in 2010 as a project between brothers Lewis and Henry de Jong has grown steadily into one of the most distinctive heavy acts in the region, now rounded out by Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds on bass. There was no inflated self-mythology in the conversation, no grand speech about destiny or conquest, just the kind of grounded honesty that tends to come from bands who have actually done the work. Tour, write, repeat. Then do it again, preferably with less airport food. Their current run with Avatar, plus support acts Witch Club Satan and Agabas, has only reinforced that sense of upward momentum, with the band clearly relishing the chance to keep testing themselves in front of bigger and broader audiences.
The Australian leg, naturally, loomed large in the conversation. Alien Weaponry know full well that Australian fans have been nagging, pleading and emotionally blackmailing them into returning for years, and they seem genuinely touched by the enthusiasm. Their past visits have been enough to build affection, but not enough to satisfy the appetite for a proper headline run. This tour is still another support slot, yet there was no trace of complaint in the band’s tone. Quite the opposite. They sounded genuinely stoked to get back across the ditch, reconnect with fans who have been waiting impatiently, and introduce themselves to fresh ears in the process. That blend of familiarity and unfinished business gives this next trip a bit of extra charge. Australia may not officially own Alien Weaponry, but the adoption papers are clearly halfway filled out.
What also came through strongly was the band’s appreciation for the support slots themselves. Lewis was refreshingly realistic about the whole thing: when you are opening for another band, there is no guarantee anyone in the room knows who you are, let alone likes what you do. That is the gamble. But on this run, the reception has been encouraging, especially in Spain, where crowds were already singing along and throwing themselves into the set. For a band like Alien Weaponry, whose music carries both cultural depth and pure physical force, that kind of response matters. It means the connection is happening in real time, not just in algorithms and streaming numbers. It means the songs are landing where they are supposed to: right in the chest.
There was also a nice sense throughout the interview that Alien Weaponry are not taking any of this for granted. The discussion drifted naturally into the wider value of live music, with both band and interviewer reflecting on how audiences have changed since the COVID years. People are showing up differently now. They are less casual, more invested, more willing to throw themselves into the experience whether they know every lyric or not. That suits Alien Weaponry just fine. They are the kind of band built for discovery, the kind that can walk on as support and leave with a chunk of the room mentally recalibrated. Not bad for a group chatting after a show while preparing for a nap and the next drive to Madrid. Human endurance is such a stupid little miracle.
For all the momentum, though, the band already has one eye on what comes next. Once the touring cycle wraps and the Australian dates are done, the plan is to get home, reacquaint themselves with their own beds, their own showers and the radical luxury of not living out of a suitcase, then begin work on album number four. They also spoke excitedly about the idea of eventually reaching Japan, a place high on their wishlist and one they clearly see as a natural fit.
So while this interview caught Alien Weaponry in transit, somewhere between Barcelona, Belgium, Australia and the next motorway nap, it also caught a band with a very clear sense of direction. Still climbing, still evolving, still carrying themselves with humility, humour and just enough chaos to make the whole thing interesting. Which, in heavy music, is usually a very good sign indeed.
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