After taking the world by storm last year with their new album ÜL, Mawiza are beating the drum for indigenous metal even louder in 2026. The modern day Mapuche warriors paid a visit to Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier’s Silver Chord Studio and performed to a packed house in Santiago before taking the stage alongside Mr. Bungle and Avenged Sevenfold.
Today, Mawiza are releasing a new video for the most fierce and combative song off ÜL. While at one with the forces of groove metal, “Ngulutu” (The Western Storm) declares war on encroaching urban decay.
“In Mapuzugun, 'Ngulutu’ comes from Ngulu, which means West”, Mawiza’s vocalist and guitarist Awka says. “The song refers to an abysmal storm born in the turbulent Pacific Ocean that reaches the land in the form of bursting, shattered clouds. It’s a declaration of war on the so-called progress of large cities, merging ourselves as a single entity with nature”.
Watch the video for “Ngulutu” below.
ÜL is available now on Season of Mist.
Order & Stream
https://orcd.co/mawizaul
Mawiza wrote “Ngulutu” six years ago in response to a social uprising in Chile, but the source material that inspired the latest single from ÜL dates as far back as the 16th century. “Both historical records and our oral tradition remember the ancient Mapuche war toki Michimolongko, who, together with his kona and weychafe, managed to destroy Santiago in 1541”, Awka recalls. “This song is a tribute to those ancient warriors and to the power of the natural territory that lies beneath the city”.
While the torrential groove of “Ngulutu” is bound to churn the pit when Mawiza storm the stage at Midgardsblot this summer, the band draws its strength from their ancestral land. The song’s chorus calls on the spirits of the Mapocho and Maipo Rivers with surging, shark-like riffs and drums that beat with the unrelenting force of a tidal wave. “Müley taiñ amuleal / Fewla, fey llemay (We must keep moving forward / Now it shall be done!)”, Awka chants, summoning a breakdown that brings the most towering cities crumbling into ruin.
“The two rivers named in the chorus of ‘Ngulutu’ are both vital for life in the territory and even for the lives of city dwellers”, Awka explains. “Yet when it rains enough, the rivers overflow, causing the collapse of the urban order. It reminds us that nature is an active entity that cannot be tamed, one that sets the path we must follow as Mapuche people”.
The video for “Ngulutu” was directed by Andrés Hetzler.
Additional video credits
Producers - Awka Mondaka, Andrés Hetzler
Cinematography - Soledad Gatica
Lighting - Pedro Salgado
Gaffer - Simón Jorquera
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
Booking information
Europe: juan@thatmusicagency.com
Rest of the World: unai@cowboymusic.agency
Order & Stream
https://orcd.co/mawizaul
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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