Mawiza signs with Season of Mist.
After eight years under the name Nunca Seremos Dichosos, followed by a debut independent album in 2023, Awka (vocals/guitar), Karü (vocals/backing vocals), Zewü (bass/backing vocals), and Txalkan (drums/percussion) unveil their second album, Ül, with their new label.
They are assisted by Fabiola Hidalgo on female vocals.
Wingkawnoam reveals a groove marked by the band’s indigenous influences, giving their music an interesting touch of novelty that they blend with solid riffs and mysterious vocals. Their rhythm section doesn’t take long to win you over and get your head banging, while a few screams join the chorus before moving on to Pinhza Ñi pewma, where dissonance meets rougher passages, such as when blast beats and piercing leads appear to create a contrast with the ethereal finale. Ngulutu returns to more energetic patterns and fairly unifying vocals that are not greatly affected by the language barrier, but the track passes fairly quickly and gives way to Nawelkünuwnge, which hits hard with powerful riffs, but also offers us a fairly heavy and ponderous break before a veritable explosion of rage. The disturbing harmonics resurface on Mamüll Reke, returning to the exotic sounds that the band masters to perfection under the guise of jerky Metalcore, then the musicians offer us a moment of respite with Wenu Weychan and its soaring introduction, which ultimately adopts aggressive prog influences where piercing tones play an important role, as do the percussion on the break. Controlled violence returns with the opening moments of Lhan Antü, but the rest of the composition navigates troubled waters and sometimes transforms into a veritable wave of strident sounds before a more energetic final that joins Kalli Lhayay and carries with it some of its fiery spirit. The track finally morphs into controlled chaos, alternating jerky patterns with piercing harmonics, then calms down to let Ti Inan Paw-Pawkan‘s jaw harp reassure us before the vocals resurface, followed by explosive rhythms that are eventually joined by Joe Duplantier‘s voice (Gojira), strengthening the final track while giving it greater significance.
Although quite exotic and steeped in its own culture, Mawiza effortlessly appropriates the codes of Western Metalcore/Groove Metal to make Ül a cultural and sonic weapon of choice! I hope to see them in France very soon…
85/100