Alien Weaponry have revealed their excitement at having Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe feature on their new album.
The Aotearoa metal trio released their explosive third studio album, Te Rā, at the end of March, and it features a memorable guest spot from Blythe on album track “Taniwha”.
Speaking to Rolling Stone AU/NZ in a wide-ranging interview, Alien Weaponry revealed how the collaboration came to be.
It turned out that Blythe actually made the first move, privately messaging the band’s Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds after seeing one of his Māori culture posts on social media.
“I was sitting in my car listening to demos and thought, ‘This song needs something… it needs Randy,’” Tūranga told Rolling Stone AU/NZ. “I didn’t tell anyone in the band in case he said no.”
Blythe, of course, didn’t say no in the end. In fact, he even contributed his own lyrics – even the Māori ones – and recorded his verse in his own living room.
“It wasn’t just a name-drop moment,” Tūranga said. “It felt like a real, meaningful collaboration. Lewis [Raharuhi de Jong], who worships Lamb of God, was over the moon.”
Alien Weaponry’s new album boasts another Lamb of God connection, with that band’s longtime producer Josh Wilbur producing Te Rā.
The decision to work with Wilbur marked symbolic maturation for the band.
We’d worked with the same producer – Lewis and Henry [Te Reiwhati de Jong]’s dad – on our previous albums. But there’s always that father-son dynamic. With Josh, it was a clean slate. No pushback. Just focus,” Tūranga explained.
“We know what we want now,” he added. “And we know the kind of energy we want around us to make it happen.”
Alien Weaponry revealed more about Lamb of God’s impact on them in a press statement about their album: “Lamb of God played a significant role in making Alien Weaponry what it is today.
“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.”
Alien Weaponry’s Te Rā is out now via Napalm Records.
