Music Premiere: Under Exile Punch Through the Noise with Their New Single “Meira”

It’s an unfair reality based on hundreds of years of horrific treatment by the U.S. government and its people, but when you hear the term “Native American,” all sorts of stereotypes can crop up. It’s fucked up and bullshit, especially here in the metal community given how some of the more uniquely badass acts have come from that subset of the population: Blackbraid and Pan-Amerikan Native Front immediately come to mind.

Starting today, you should keep the band Under Exile as yet another example of Native American sound and fury thanks to their new single “Meira”. Featuring the punchy guitar playing of Ryland Benally and Rumeel Jim, the thumping rhythm of drummer Wyatt Billie and bassist Trevor Martin, and the hellacious vocals of Franklin Yazzie, these guys should frankly already be on your radar if you’re a fan of that modern metalcore sound.

As members of the Dine’/Navajo Tribe on the Navajo Nation and Shiprock, New Mexico, these guys formed Under Exile as teenagers back in 2015.

“We are proud to be part of the growing community of Native American heavy music and musicians, and are also proud to be a representation of the Dinè/Navajo Nation along with other bands like Heart Musuem, Tribus, Hellthrone, Graves of the Monuments and Born of Winter to name a few. We hope to continue to grow as a band and, as musicians, to continue to bring recognition to the talent that is within the Native American heavy music community.”

And while it’s great to be able to highlight another Native American metal band, that’s not why you should be paying attention to them. Their new single “Meira”, which you can check out below, is a hard hitter that could stand up next to some of the genre’s biggest names.

Speaking of the single, Under Exile said “Meira” deals with the impermanence of the human experience.

“The song lyrics take a nihilistic view on human existence, with the take that any truths, historical/cultural stories or other ‘meaning’ will ultimately be insignificant because of humans’ destructive tendencies proven through history that continue to be prevalent in the world now.”

So check out the track “Meira” below and keep Under Exile on your radar for future releases.