Nepalese rock

The history of rock music in Nepal dates back to the 1970s when there were a few acts influenced by Western bands such as The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, and later Led Zeppelin, The Who, the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple and Bob Marley.

The album contained eight tracks, six of which were rock ballads but the other two Adhuro Prem and Mayalu were on the heavier side with a lot of guitar distortions, sweeping solos and screaming vocals.

In the late 1990s, a few songs from the band Drishty (formed by Iman B. Shah while he was in the US) hit the FM airwaves on a few rock shows.

Mukti and Revival, which consisted one of the most senior rock and blues musicians, also released Kalanki Ko Jam in 2000.

The owner/engineer Iman B. Shah (Guitarist – Drishty and formerly of Vegetarian Vampires) was a 'metalhead' himself and was familiar with capturing the essence of metal - heavy riffs, thundering drums, thumping bass and deafening vocals – in the recording studio.

Nastik released a self-titled demo album in 2002, which featured "Maukil" – a fan favorite song in concerts.

Third World Chaos's four song EP Inferno was released in 2003 which is significant in the terms that it introduced hardcore influenced metal into Kathmandu's scene.

During the active days, TWC performed regularly in concerts with Nastik and X-mantra and helped the scene to become stronger.

The release of X-mantra's debut album Crying for Peace in 2003 hit the underground metal scene like a tsunami and created an astonishing aftermath.

Until their philosophical demise and in an attempt to garner commercial limelight by changing the direction, X-mantra's first two albums (the second one being Kurshi, 2004) set a standard in the Nepali Metal history – proving that it was possible to fuse aggression in the almost poetic styled Nepali lyrics with riff based groovy metal.

The same year, members of Nastik and Albatross also joined forces as Abattoir and recorded a self-titled album before disbanding.

At the end of 2004, bands like Ugra Karma, Nastik, TWC, Albatross, Refused 13 and X-mantra were either inactive, had disbanded or had moved away from the underground scene.

By 2005, a new wave of bands such as Cruentus, Antim Grahan, Muga:, Brutal, Holocaust, and Breeding Pestilence started to bring new and innovative stuff into the scene.

Their choice of music gradually shifted towards black metal and eventually Cruentus started covering Immortal, Amon Amarth, Graveworm and so on.

Without wasting much time just after three months, Antim Grahan released their full-length album Tales of the Darkened Woods.

Formed by the members of Breeding Pestilence, Ozzobozo and Elysium – Atomic Bush propelled the scene into a new and interesting frontier of progressive, virtuoso and eclectic rock.

These bands mostly covered Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, UFO, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, and Metallica to name few.

The present mainstream music scene in Nepal includes bands like 1974 AD, The Shadows, Nepathya, Mukti and Revival, Robin and The New Revolution, Abhaya and The Steam Injuns and the long-running Cobweb.

With all the bands having their own reasons to play a certain genre and style of music, Kutumba artistically reflects Nepal's culture and tradition with their folk tunes.

Having come together for the preservation of their culture and art, Kutumba wishes to spread love and joy of Nepali folk music throughout the world.

In 2009, rock artist Diwas Gurung, along with his bandmates, Ayurveda, released Rato Mato at The Nines in Ithaca, New York.

Morgoth, Hami Hetauda Grindcore, Scam, Refused 13, Cruentus, Horny Monks, Garudh, Divine Influence, Neck Deep In Filth, Binaash, Hatebook, Ugrakarma, Jugaa, Nude Terror, Disorder, Rage Hybrid, Breach Not Broken, Shadow In Shade, Strangle, Dying Out Flame and 72 Hrs have contributed in their own ways to the scene.

Lately, an art/alternative rock group named Jindabaad is formed, with ex-members of Atomic Bush, Karmavalanche, Baking Space Cake and Ushma Weg.

A new new-wave thrash metal project called E. quals was also formed, by members of Lost Oblivion and Vhumi.

Silence Fest III included the band from Nepal as well as from European countries like Sweden, Switzerland and Australia.

Different known artists like Baba Richie & the Raags (Sweden), Hans Theessink (Austria), Jose Luis Pardo (Spain), Magnus Rosen (Sweden), Oliver Mally and Martin Gasselsberger (Austria), Robert Owen Campbell (Australia), Tere Estrada (Mexico), Brad Kava (USA) were part of this festival in 2010.

Even though highly skilled and talented, the bands have been plagued by copyright violation of their releases and organizers using them for either low-pay or mostly free gigs.

Lack of sustainability in this sense has led many talented musicians to disband, become inactive or completely quit the music scene.

These days Punk Rock, Metal, Jazz and blues has been highly appreciated by the Nepali music lovers.

Owing to dark time during political unrest and Civil war Punk rock also emerged in Nepali underground during early 2000, Many punk rock bands such as squirt guns, Rai Ko Ris emerged from underground covering the topics about malpractice, discriminations and hypocrite society of Nepal.