From Blackbraid to Alien Weaponry, metal is increasingly becoming a space for disaffected Indigenous peoples to rage against colonialism while championing their cultures’ music and values. Mawiza – based in Santiago, Chile – join the scene from the Mapuche Nation: a South American group who spent centuries fighting off oppression from European settlers.
The groove metal band ‘formed’ in 2021, after vocalist Awka Mondaka got more in touch with his heritage and decided their previous, Spanish-language name was no longer appropriate. Since then, they’ve re-recorded their old material in Mapudungun, the Mapuche tongue. Plus, in the last two years alone, they’ve signed to Season Of Mist and supported Slipknot, King Diamond and Gojira.
