MAWIZA

MAWIZA are a Mapuche metal band from Santiago, Chile, singing entirely in Mapuzungun — the ancestral language of the Mapuche people. The band traces its roots to 2014, when vocalist/guitarist Awka Mondaka founded the project under the name Nunca Seremos Dichosos. After reconnecting more deeply with his Mapuche heritage, the band renamed themselves MAWIZA in 2021, committing fully to their indigenous identity and language.

Their breakthrough album Kollong (2019, re-released 2024) won the Pulsar Award (Chilean Grammy) for Best Metal Album in 2020 and introduced the world to Mapuche metal: black metal ferocity fused with indigenous Andean textures, traditional percussion and lyrics rooted in the ancestral relationship between people and land. The band also won the LIT Music Award in 2025.

Their debut Season of Mist album ÜL (July 2025) — meaning "chant" in Mapuzungun — features guest vocals from GOJIRA frontman Joe Duplantier and was recorded in part at his Silver Cord Studio. ÜL received widespread critical acclaim and earned a 2026 Pulsar Award nomination for Best Metal Album.

Current lineup: Awka (vocals & rhythm guitar), Karü (lead guitar & backing vocals), Zewü (bass & backing vocals), Txalkan (drums & percussion).