MAWIZA is a metal band originally from Wallmapu, the ancestral territory of the Mapuche Nation in South America. The band sings in Mapuzungun, their ancestral language. They are guided by the preservation of their roots, our relationship to nature and the conservation of biodiversity. Their latest album, ÜL, means “chant” in English. It’s a desperate call to respect all living beings and return to our primordial balance with the Earth.
Founded in 2014 as Nunca Seremos Dichosos, they released two albums under that moniker, Tierra (2017) and Kollong (2019). They toured not only Chile, but also Colombia and Bolivia. Kollong included the single “Mawiza ñi piwke”, the first Metal song sung entirely in Mapuzungun. In 2020, the album won the prestigious Pulsar Award (Chilean Grammy) in the Best Metal Artist category.
After several line-up changes, in 2021, the band decided to change its name to Mawiza and leave behind its mixed use of Spanish and Mapuzungun. They committed to Mapuzungun as their sole language of expression.
Major milestones in the band’s career include: opening for Gojira and Mastodon in front of more than 10,000 people, playing with Mercyful Fate at the Movistar Arena Santiago, performing at Knotfest Chile and playing in front of 30,000 people at the Pasiwali Festival in Taiwan. Others include participating in the Fluvial music fair in Valdivia, as well as in the Micsur fair in Santiago.
In 2023, Mawiza released the single “Txükur” with the Mapuche rapper MC Millaray and their version of Metallica’s “Battery”, which they adapted to Mapuzungun.
In August 2023, Mawiza were invited to record a live session by Joe Duplantier, leader of Gojira and owner of Silver Chord Studios in New York. They also visited West West Side Studio, owned by renowned producer Alan Douches, and performed an acoustic concert at Selva Gallery in Brooklyn.
At the end of 2024, Mawiza re-released Kollong. This version includes new recordings of vocals done entirely in Mapuzungun and drums re-recorded by Txalkan.
IN 2025, Mawza released ÜL, their first album since signing with Season of Mist. The album summons ancestral spirit with modern groove metal in honor of the fierce resistance of The Mapuche Nation. Opening ceremony “Wingkawnoam” stomps to an industrial groove that’s guided by Wallmapu’s ancestral spirits, while “Mamüll Reke” towers with the unwavering strength of the Araucanían forest. Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier joins the band and members of their community for its climatic harp-strung finale defense “Ti Inan Paw-pawkan”.
“Kimpayaymi tami ekuwael / Here you will learn to respect every form of life”.
To the broad world of metal, Mawiza are still an ascendant new force, but these modern day Mapuche warriors have always stood fiercely by their indegenous roots. The band’s upcoming third album and first since winning a Chilean Grammy calls for us to restore our balance with nature. While the latest single from ÜL warns that the apocalypse is fast approaching, “Mamüll Reke” proudly demonstrates Mawiza’s staying power by relying on all they’ve learned from their ancestral land.
Like a smoke signal, over the past decade, Mawiza have risen as a guiding force for indigenous metal. By incorporating native instruments, shamanic chanting and tribal rhythms into their contemporary influences, the band represent both the ancestral and modern sides of Mapuche culture. Their fresh yet timeless take on groove metal has won them a Chilean Grammy along with the respect of scene elders like Mercyful Fate, Mastodon, Slipknot and Joe Duplantier from Gojira, who’s featured on their upcoming new album.
