''Ala Mai'' is the second studio album by New Zealand heavy metal group Shepherds Reign. It was released on

Golden Robot Records Golden Robot Records is an Australian independent record label that has released, among others, the albums '' Mother of the Sun'' by Jefferson Starship, ''Silver & Black'' by Leadfinger, ''Into the Night'' and ''Tomorrow Never Comes'' by The New ...

in 2023 in both CD and vinyl LP format. The lyrics are sung in both English and Samoan.

Background

Having previously released a self-titled album in 2018 without label backing, ''Ala Mai'' was released via

in August 2023. The meaning of Ala Mai is to wake up. Shepherds Reign along with Dick Move were in top tier list of finalist for the Taite Music Prize nomination in 2024. The album won awards in the SunPix Best Pacific Language category and the Best Pacific Music Album category.

Reception

Sean Frasier of ''

Decibel The decibel (symbol: dB) is a relative unit of measurement equal to one tenth of a bel (B). It expresses the ratio of two values of a Power, root-power, and field quantities, power or root-power quantity on a logarithmic scale. Two signals whos ...

'' was joined by band member Filiva'a James to give a track-by-track review account of the album. Frasier said that the album was a "muscular blend of catchy choruses, Gojiran heaviness, '90s

groove metal Groove metal, sometimes also called neo-thrash or post-thrash, is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. The genre is primarily derived from thrash metal, but played in slower tempos, and making use of rhythmic guitar pa ...

, and

Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in Belo Horizonte in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera.Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. They were a major force in the groove metal, thrash met ...

's ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...

'' record." Erin Eddy's review was published in ''Heavy Magazine'' on 25 August. The review was positive, with Eddy saying that the influences of classic metal were extremely apparent and noted that the band had drawn from the classical and pop genres. Rather than give a track-by-track review, Eddy just concentrated on the title track, "Ala Mai", noting the similarity to Sepultura, the acoustic track "Cold Summers Night" which was sung in English, and "Nafanua" which was released as a single on 4 August. In his 18 September review, Wil Cifer of ''Ghost Cult'' also made comparisons with ''Roots'' by Sepultura. He also said that the album was a little bit too radio friendly but there was something for everyone. He gave the album a 7 out of 10. Conor Lochrie of the ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine gave a positive review of the album which was published on 27 May 2024. He also said that the album was "a promising sign that Polynesian metal is here to stay.''Rolling Stone'', 27 May 2024 �
Music News, Shepherds Reign Share Powerful Polynesian Anthem 'Ala Mai' By Conor Lochrie
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Track listing (LP)

* A1. "Samoa O La'u Fesili" * A2. "Aiga" * A3. "Le Manu" * A4. "Nafanua" * A5. "Va Masa'a" * B1. "Ala Mai" * B2. "The World Bleeds" * B3. "Cold Summers Night" * B4. "Finally" * C1. "Never Forgotten" * C2. "Atali'i" * C3. "Samoa Mo Samoa" * C4. "Mo'omo'oga Sa Molia"

References

{{reflist

External links

* Discogs �
Shepherds Reign – Ala Mai
Heavy metal albums by New Zealand artists 2023 albums Golden Robot Records albums