EPHEMERA is a focused release from Under Exile, a band emerging from Shiprock, New Mexico on the Navajo Nation. The EP centers on contrast and building atmosphere; blending dense, aggressive instrumentation with layered passages to create a sound that moves between pure aggression and dissonance without losing momentum.
The EP carries an underlying perspective shaped by life on the Navajo Nation where history, displacement, and resilience exist side by side. That influence surfaces subtly in the writing, giving weight to the EPâs recurring sense of impermanence and internal conflict without confining the band to a single identity. Themes of impermanence, identity, and erasure run throughout the record. With the tracks “Ephemera” and “Vestige”, identity unravels as names dissolve, voices fade, and what once felt important and permanent begins to slip away.That sense of loss and disconnection is pushed further in “Echoes” where identity fractures under outside influence, while “Oath” with its grounded intensity, confronts systems of authority, power and control.
The result is an EP that feels deliberate and immersive. Under Exile continues to refine their sound and message to stands distinct within modern heavy music, balancing aggression with atmosphere while carrying a perspective rooted in the Navajo Nation
In support of EPHEMERA, Under Exile will embark on a Northwest run beginning in June 2026. The band continues to expand its reach beyond the Southwest, bringing the intensity and atmosphere of EPHEMERA into a live setting.
Under Exile Northwest Tour 2026 Dates:
June 6 â Lemoore, CA â Tachi Palace Resort (Indigenous Tattoo and Music Festival)
June 13 â Farmington, NM â Locke Street (Four Corner Metal Festival)
June 24 â Las Vegas, NV â The UUC
June 25 â Sacramento, CA â The Corner Spot
June 26 â Bend, OR â Wonderland Chicken
June 27 â Portland, OR â Twilight Cafe
June 28 â Boise, ID â The Warehouse
June 30 â Salt Lake City, UT â The DLC
July 1 â Denver, CO â Trailside Saloon
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 âMeiraâ was born, a nihilistic meditation on human existence and impermanence.
“Meira”,with a new music video which premiered at Metal Sucks.
Under Exile released their self-titled album, Under Exile in September and wrapped up 2025 as a featured artist on SiriusXM Ian Christe’s Bloody Roots Show Playlist “ROOTS of Native American Metal 2025” for the week of November 29.
In January of 2026 Metal Injection premiered Under Exile’s “Ephemera” – the first single from their forthcoming EP.
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. Theyâve steadily built a reputation that extends far beyond the ârez metalâ label often placed on Native bands. Rather than being defined by a single scene or identity, theyâve 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 doesnât confine their sound.
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://open.spotify.com/artist/underexile
Shop New UNDER EXILE Merch:
https://underexile.bigcartel.com
Contact Info: franklin.lee.yazzie@gmail.com
