“Sung entirely in Mapudungun, it’s as thematically enlightening as it is musically distinct”, Metal Hammer UK writes about ÜL in an 8/10 review. “…these up-and-comers feel close to fully formed and vital to listen to”.
“In a genre that too often forgets its own roots, Mawiza are digging deep into language, into legacy, into land and returning with something eternal”, writes Metal Lair. “Not just a great Latin American metal record. One of the year’s most important”.
ÜL comes out tomorrow, Friday, July 18, but you can hear all nine defiant anthems today by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
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“ÜL is the voice of the land, the origin of feeling, the first call to connect with emotions”, Mawiza says. “Our new album is the materialization of a part of the spirit that, for a few seconds, becomes one with the wind – a force we can hear, feel resonating, communicate with, and return to. It is our indigenous chant, and like smoke, it rises as a message to the skies”.
Hear Mawiza perform ÜL during their ongoing European tour with fellow Chilean metalheads Ater.
Immortal Flame 2025 European Tour
July 18 – Deva, Romania @ John’s La Cetate
July 19 – Targu Jiu, Romania @ Piano
July 20 – Sibiu, Romania @ Rock & Bike
July 21 – Timisoara, Romania @ Nemesis
July 22 – Brasov, Romania @ La Templarie Pub
July 23 – Arad, Romania @ Club Flex
July 24 – Budapest, Hungary @ Riff
July 25 – Szeged, Hungary @ Varosi Club
July 26 – Pecs, Hungary @ Vararok
July 27 – Ostrava, Czech Republic @ Barrack
July 31 – Pinerolo, Italy @ Spazio Nino
August 1 – Barberaz, France @ Brin De Zinc
August 2 – Ostend, Belgium @ B52
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 ancestors but also their land. Soaring above the clouds with brightly piercing flute, the song 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 love Mawiza! For their music, for who they are as individuals and for what they stand for”, Joe Duplantier says. “They represent and honor their powerful Mapuche heritage, amplifying its relevant message of connection with our roots and the universe as a whole. And they do so with determination and in the most modern way, with heavy riffs and an openness to new ideas and to the world. A conversation between past, present and future. Don’t give up the fight!”.
“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 advanced praise for Mawiza and ÜL
“…a roar of Mapuche pride out of Chile’s metal scene” – RollingStone
“Mawiza cut through the noise with their own signature cocktail of chainsaw guitars, guttural vocals and ancestral Mapuche wisdom they’ve dubbed ÜL Metal” – Bandcamp
“No contest here: Chilean metal force Mawiza absolutely crush it” – Revolver
“the band uses their music to channel strength and keep history alive” – Decibel
“a new and fresh sound of modern metal, but reimagined as if it had been born in the heart of the wallmapu, mixing and creating sounds typical of their culture” – The Resistance
“a heavy proposal merged with elements of Mapuche culture, preserving and making visible its roots, traditions and its struggles, resulting in a unique style” – Futuro
“…the constant plucks of a Mapuche harp bring the global discourse back to the sacred, unbowing territories of Wallmapu” – Remezcla
“…Mawiza are a beast of entirely their own making” – Heavy Blog is Heavy
“…a must for fans of heavy, riff-concrete music with a touch of melodic sophistication” – Metal Underground (4.5/5)
“When all’s said and done, what remains is the understanding that the Mapuche, and Mawiza, are still very much in the fight” – Metal Epidemic (3.5/5)
“Raw, emotional and really powerful. A call of resistance for people who have been pushed off their native land” – Brutally Delicious Podcast
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