Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

Backed by their defiant and critically-acclaimed new album, Mawiza continue to serve as a guiding force for indigenous metal. Fresh off a spirited European tour with fellow Chileans Ater, the modern day Mapuche warriors recently received a new medal from the LIT Music Awards. “Mamüll Reke”, the towering single from ÜL, was named the Silver winner in the category for Metal/Hardcore Songwriting.

“We are deeply honored by this recognition” says Mawiza’s guitarist and vocalist Awka. “Our chant ÜL was born from our struggle to defend the land and the spirit that lives within it. Knowing that people from around the world have felt that pulse, the call of nature and resistance, means everything to us. Deep thanks to the judges and to everyone who keeps this newen alive”. 

With its quick-fire double bass and cavernous growls, “Mamüll Reke” might sound like a world that’s on the verge of collapse. But at its core, the song is steeled by the resilience and resistance of not only the Mapuche people but also their native land. In English, the song translates to “Just Like the Tree”. Soaring above the clouds with brightly piercing flute, the enchanting chorus summons its harmonious energy with a mournful Afafan war cry.

Mamüll reke / Lhalu witxan / Afafalen / Lhayaiñ ka (Just like the tree / that dies standing / chanting the war cry / we will die too).

“This is one of the most melodic songs on ÜL“, Mawiza says. “We wanted it to bring the same energy that you carry into battle. We will die like a burning tree standing. Because nature has taught us everything we are”.

ÜL is available now on  Season of Mist.  Order & Stream: https://orcd.co/mawizaul

Don’t miss Mawiza when they headline next year’s Pumapu Rock Fest XVII

Mawiza 2026 Tour Dates
January 10 – Santa Juana, Chile @ Pumapu Rock Fest XVII [TICKETS]

more dates announcing soon!

Tracklist
1. Wingkawnoam (3:38) [WATCH]
2. Pinhza Ñi pewma  (4:29)
3. Ngulutu (3:50)
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)
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]

Mawiza are a force of nature on ÜL. With sky-scraping riffs and earthshaking grooves, these nine chants call for the protection of Mapuche territory. Opening ceremony “Wingkawnoam” stomps to an industrial groove, but the song’s bounding rhythm mirrors the way a deer dances while eluding its predators. “History is normally written by the colonizers”, the band says. “We have to show the indigenous vision”.

Mawiza have seen the Mapuche Nation endure tremendous hardships. With its storming leads and blood-pumping chants, “Ngulutu” echoes the ancient battles between the Spanish and Mapuche by channeling the strength of the Mapocho and Maipo rivers. Half of the video for “Mamüll Reke” was filmed on Mapuche territory in southern Chile, outside the city of Valdivia, that is now controlled by two timbre companies.

But the band are steeled by the resistance of not only their Mapuche ancestors but also their land. Soaring above the clouds with brightly piercing flute, “Mamüll Reke” draws its harmonious energy from a mournful Afafan war cry. “Mamüll reke / Lhalu witxan / Afafalen / Lhayaiñ ka (Just like the tree / that dies standing / chanting the war cry / we will die too)”. 

“The Mapuche are still standing”, Mawiza’s vocalist and guitarist Awka says. “You can cut us down, but if one falls, ten shall rise”.

For the album’s climactic harp-strung defense, Mawiza bring together allies from across their community. Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier joins forces with Mapuche tribesmen on “Ti Inan Paw-Pawkan”, which comes roaring down with the rushing force of a waterfall. “We wanted this song to sound like nature resisting the advancement of the city”, says the band’s drummer Txalkan. “Even when crushed by industrial pollution, nature is always pushing up from beneath the concrete”.    

On ÜL, Mawiza summon ancestral spirit with modern groove metal.

“I have been working with Mawiza for several years,” says Andrés Hetzler, who filmed all three videos for ÜL. “It’s always an honor to continue our collaboration. Their message deserves a strong and powerful visual”.

“This was a profound experience”, says the band’s photographer Kata Ulloa. “I would like to thank the Mapuche community for opening their doors to me, welcoming me so warmly and allowing me to get to know their culture from the inside. I would also like to thank Mawiza for trusting my aesthetic and vision for their album cover. I deeply love the band’s honesty and character, as subtle as it is expansive”.

More info:

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/1653435953