Mawiza are pounding the drum for indigenous metal in 2026. The modern day Mapuche warriors rang in the year by visiting Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier’s Silver Cord Studio, performing with Mr. Bungle and Avenged Sevenfold, headlining Pumapu Rock Fest and packing the stands in their hometown of Santiago, Chile.
Now, as Mawiza prepare for European festival dates at Midgarsdblot, Hellsinki Metal Festival and Malmö Massacre, the band are proud to announce that their latest album, ÜL, is nominated for a 2026 Pulsar Award (Chilean Grammy) in the category for Best Metal Album. They previously won a Pulsar Award in the same category for their previous album Kollong.
“ÜL has been nominated for the 2026 Pulsar Awards in times where nature and art feel more abandoned every day”, Mawiza vocalist and guitarist Awka says. “Forests disappear, culture becomes weaker and many people forget how to listen to the earth. It feels strange to celebrate art while the spirit of the land is slowly dying. But ÜL was born against this silence. It is a chant to recover energy, to feel united with nature again, to remember where we come from, to hear the birds, the wind, the rivers, the trees. The earth still speaks. And we will keep singing with it”.
ÜL is available now on Season of Mist. Order & Stream: https://orcd.co/mawizaul
Tracklist
1. Wingkawnoam (3:38) [WATCH]
2. Pinhza Ñi pewma (4:29)
3. Ngulutu (3:50) [WATCH]
4. Nawelkünuwnge (5:06)
5. Mamüll Reke (4:24) [WATCH]
6. Wenu Weychan (6:13)
7. Lhan Antü (4:08)
8. Kalli Lhayay (3:58)
9. Ti Inan Paw-Pawkan (featuring Joe Duplantier from Gojira) (4:42) [WATCH]
Tracklist (English Translation)
1. To Decolonize (3:38) [WATCH]
2. Hummingbird Dream (4:29)
3. Western Storm (3:50) [WATCH]
4. Become a Cougar (5:06)
5. Just Like The Tree (4:24) [WATCH]
6. The War of the Sky (6:13)
7. Dead of the Sun (4:08)
8. Let It Die (3:58)
9. The Last Harp Call (featuring Joe Duplantier from Gojira) (4:42) [WATCH]
Catch Mawiza this summer at select European shows.
Mawiza 2026 European Dates
August 6 – Helsinki, Finland @ WTF – Capital of Metal [TICKETS]
August 7 – Helsinki, Finland @ Hellsinki Metal Festival [TICKETS]
August 12 – Borre, Norway @ Midgardsblot [Acoustic Set] [TICKETS]
August 13 – Borre, Norway @ Midgardsblot [Electric Set] [TICKETS]
August 15 – København, Denmark @ Stengade [TICKETS]
ÜL means “chant” in Mapuzugun. The album represents the voice of the land, the origin of feeling, the first call to connect with emotions. It is the materialization of a part of the spirit that, for a few seconds, becomes one with the wind—a force we can hear, resonate, communicate with, and return to. ÜL is Mawiza’s indigenous chant, and like smoke, it rises as a message to the skies.
Like their Mapuche ancestors, Mawiza always look back. ÜL chants to awaken the energies that have fallen asleep in the land, using the power of the great cities to resist the noise of imbalance. In this way, the album becomes another element of nature, a force defending itself, speaking in its own language to keep fighting and condemning those who continue to futilely subjugate their own strength.
With ÜL, Mawiza present themself to the world with a decolonizing and empowering mission. The album proclaims that nature possesses consciousness and spirit. Opening song “Wingkawnoam” emphasizes the importance of indigenous Mapuche thought by following dreams as precise guides for one’s path in life.
“Pinhza ñi pewma” is a dream that Mawiza’s vocalist Awka had during a time when hummingbirds were nowhere to be seen. Their chant was absent and the chilco plant was disappearing. In Awka’s dream, four hummingbirds came to feed on the blood from his fingertips, as if it were nectar flowing from the flowers of the chilco.
ÜL pays tribute to nature and Mawiza’s ancestors. “Ngulutu” recalls ancient battles between the Mapuche and the Spanish in Santiago, Chile. “Mamüll Reke”, “Wenu Weychan”, “Lhan Antü”, and “Kalli Lhayay” are filled with rhythms and sounds reminiscent of the most hermetic rituals of the Mapuche people. They were used by shamans to induce trance and heal the sick, to communicate with and greet the spirits of the mountains.
Closing song “Ti Inan Paw-pawkan” features chants from members of Mawiza’s indigenous community, as well as Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier. It is here, during the album’s finale, that the band stake their claim as both indigenous and urban. The song acknowledges the mission entrusted to Mawiza by Mapuche authorities and by the land itself: to raise awareness about balance on Earth in an empowered way and to call for greater attentiveness to Mapuche territory. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire.
Lineup
Awka – Lead vocals & rhythm guitar
Karü – Lead guitar & backing vocals
Zewü – Bass & backing vocals
Txalkan – Drums & percussion
Guest musicians
Fabiola Hidalgo (Liquen) contributes vocals to “Wingkawnoam”, “Pinhza Ñi pewma”, “Ngulutu” and “Mamüll reke”
Joe Duplantier (Gojira) contributes vocals to “Ti Inan Paw-Pawkan”
Recording Studio
Estudio del Sur in Chile
Producer
Pancho Arenas
Sound & Mixing Engineer
Pancho Arenas
Mastering Studio
West West Side Music
Mastering Engineer
Alan Douches
Cover Art
Kata Ulloa
Follow Mawiza
Bandcamp: https://mawizakvlt.bandcamp.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mawizakvlt
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mawizakvlt
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mawizakvlt
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4oJP24bXA2fbdVmNGNmCtt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mawizakvlt
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mawiza/165343595
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