At its core, Under Exile is a powerful voice in the Native American movement, representing the Navajo Nation with pride and carving out space for Native American perspectives in the heavy music world. They’ve steadily built a reputation that extends far beyond the “rez metal” label often placed on Native bands. Rather than being defined by a single scene or identity, they’ve become known for their dynamic songwriting, technical precision, and emotionally charged performances. These qualities that resonate with metal fans everywhere. Their cultural background informs their perspective, but it doesn’t confine their sound.
Under Exile released their self-titled album, Under Exile, September 2025. featuring 11 tracks including their single from the previous year “Meira”, which premiered at Metal Sucks. The album was recorded with producer Erik Jensen, and showcases their most polished, dynamic, and emotionally resonant material yet.
Under Exile wrapped up the year as a featured artist on SiriusXM Ian Christe’s Bloody Roots Show Playlist “ROOTS of Native American Metal 2025” for the week of 11/29.
Today, Under Exile premieres “Ephemera” – the first single from their upcoming EP – at Metal Injection. Under Exile explains“‘Ephemera’ is a dark, immersive piece that is rooted in a liminal-space narrative. The song captures the unease of existing between who we were, who we pretend to be online, and the nothingness that waits in between. At its core, the song confronts the psychological weight of consumerism, digital worship, and existential erosion. The opening imagery of a god on a screen and a prophet rotting within synthetic skin sets the stage for a world where meaning has been replaced by manufactured identity. This is reinforced through the idea of preaching dreams of decay, a commentary on how modern culture sells deterioration as aspiration. It’s not just a critique but a mirror held to the systems that reward burnout, self-distortion, and the glamorization of collapse. The whispering goddess reflects the relentless pull of social media algorithms, a voice that condemns silence as sin and demands constant performance. Just like the digital idols she represents, she can never be truly found. This creates the song’s center: where static, silence, and fading consciousness symbolize the disappearance of genuine identity in a hyper-connected world. Sonically, the song is a fusion of crushing heaviness, atmospheric tension, and lyrical depth. It shows a band not defined by where they come from, but by the message of what they have to say and unafraid to dissect the spiritual and cultural decay woven into modern existence.”
Metal Injection writes “Navajo Nation metal band Under Exile unveil ‘Ephemera,’ a dark, immersive new single exploring consumerism, digital worship, and identity erosion.”
Check out “Ephemera” here:
Director of Videography – Jacob Reynolds of Jacob Reynolds Media
Video and VFX by John F Media
Mixed and mastered by Erik Jensen
Produced and written by Under Exile
“Ephemera”
Branded
Your god on a screen
The prophet
Rotting within synthetic skin
Decay
The goddess still whispers
Sells silence as sin
But she won’t be found
The goddess still whispers
Sells silence as sin
I waited at the edge of time, where silence swallowed sound
I vanished in the static of a dream, never to be found
We are trapped in-between what was and between what never will be
We are nothing. We will never be
Preaching
The dream of decay
Waking
To nothing that will remain
The goddess still whispers
Sells silence as sin
But she won’t be found
The goddess still whispers
Sells silence as sin
Dwell within the decay of grandeur
We are nothing and never were
We waited at the edge of time, where silence swallowed sound
We vanish in the static of a dream, never to be found
You are trapped in-between what was and between what never will be
You are nothing. You will never be
About Under Exile:
Under Exile is a metalcore band hailing from Shiprock, New Mexico at the heart of the Navajo (Diné) Nation. With unflinching intensity, Under Exile blends modern metalcore aggression with lyrical depth. Their sound is driven by punchy twin-guitar (Ryland Benally and Rumeel Jim), tight rhythm sections (Trevor Martin and Wyatt Billie), and raw, visceral vocals (Franklin Yazzie). Their lyrics often wrestle with themes of existentialism, defying adversity, and shifting toward an internal locus of control. A resonance that feels rooted in both their Navajo upbringing and universal human experience.
After a brief hiatus between 2019 and 2023, Under Exile regrouped with their core members: Benally, Jim, Billie, and Yazzie and in 2023 welcomed bassist Trevor Martin as an official member. That reunion sparked a creative surge: they worked with producer Erik Jensen (of Escape the Fate), and their single “Meira” was born, a nihilistic meditation on human existence and impermanence.
Under Exile premiered the “Meira”video at Metal Sucks on October 17, 2024, sharing “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.”
Metal Sucks writes “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…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.”
In September 2025, they released their self-titled album, Under Exile, which features 11 tracks including “As Above So Below”, “Meira”, “The Lament” and “Throne of Ashes”. This record marks a major milestone: it’s the first full-length recorded with producer Erik Jensen, and showcases their most polished, dynamic, and emotionally resonant material yet. They’ve also shared stages with some major names in metal including Fear Factory, Slaughter to Prevail, Bad Omens, In Flames, All That Remains, Whitechapel, and Soulfly and continue to build a name for themselves at a regional level.
Under Exile wrapped up the year as a featured artist on SiriusXM Ian Christe’s Bloody Roots Show Playlist “ROOTS of Native American Metal 2025” for the week of 11/29.
UNDER EXILE is:
Ryland Benally – guitar
Rumeel Jim – guitar
Wyatt Billie – drums
Franklin Yazzie – vocals
Trevor Martin – bass
Follow UNDER EXILE:
https://www.facebook.com/UnderExileNM
https://www.instagram.com/underexile_
https://www.youtube.com/@underexile2729
https://underexile.bigcartel.com
Contact Info: franklin.lee.yazzie@gmail.com
