EDITORIAL

• Yay or Nay

NEWS

• Here

IN THE VAULT

• THE ELEKTRIX

INTERVIEWS

• BITTER EUPHEMISM
• VHUMI, EPITAPH, LOST OBLIVION

RAG n ROLL

• Bardan Pradhan (HMG – MINISTRY OF ROCK, PRALAY)

5 RECORDS THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE

• Jason Shrestha (NIGHT, BEYOND, ex-MAYA)

KNOW MY GEAR

• Deep Rana (HMG – MINISTRY OF ROCK)

CONCERT REVIEWS

• International Music Day Open Concert, Ktm
• Earthquake Eve Jam, Ktm
• Melt-Banana, Nebraska, USA

ALBUM REVIEWS

• Barbaric Regulation – EPITAPH
• Carpathian Wolves – GRAVELAND

ARTICLES

• Beginner’s Guide to FAITH NO MORE
• Top 5 Live Albums – I
• Digital Cancer

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KNOW MY GEARS: DEEP S. RANA

Age: Sweet double sixteen plus one!
Started playing at the age: 18
Currently in: HMG-MINISTRY OF ROCK & CIRCUS (a Classic Rock/ Roots Rock revival project)
Also played with: Hosts of small time bands since college not worthy of mention here and lots of jams with some great musicians.
Also does: Law Enforcement.

INSPIRATIONS:

As a guitar player I draw my inspiration mostly from the Blues and Blues based Hard Rock. All the guitarists from the Classic Rock bands of the 60’s and & 70’s. Being an 80’s teenager there was no escaping from the bubblegum Pop and Hair Metal that dominated that decade hence those are influences too.

My inspirations are quite diverse ranging from traditional jazz, Afro-American Soul music to old school English Punk Rock to even Musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber. I don’t really listen to much modern music and am unfamiliar with the works of many contemporary bands. Of the very few modern bands I’ve listened to I like The Arctic Monkeys and Wolfmother.

FAVORITE BANDS/ARTISTS:

Again from a guitar player’s viewpoint my favourite ranges from old slingers from the 40’s & 50’s like Matt Murphy, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, Eddie ‘Guitar Slim’ Jones moving on to Chuck Berry and Steve Cropper. All the guitarists with the British Invasion bands of the 60’s favourites being Beck, early Clapton, Page, Blackmore, Townsend etc…

I also like Bluesmen like Albert Collins, the 3 Kings and Buddy Guy a lot as well as heavy guitarists that draw their inspiration from the Blues like Johnny Winter, Alvin Lee, Leslie West, Angus and Malcolm Young as well as subtle and tasteful guitarists like the guys from Allman Bros. band, Robbie Krieger (The Doors), Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) and an insane guitarist and my all time favourite Frank Zappa. Newer guitar players that I really respect are Derek Trucks and Johnny Hiland.

Moving on to Metal, like I said earlier I am a huge 80’s Heavy Metal fan and in particular the NWOBHM bands of the late 70’s and early 80’s like Angelwitch, Diamondhead and Tygers of Pan Tang. I really like the works of Matthias Jabs (Scorpions), Adrian Smith (Maiden), Eddie Clark (Motorhead) etc.

Locally, I like old timers like Pemba Dai and Mukti Dai and more recently Hari Maharjan. No one can do 80’s Metal better than Iman Shah. From the new generation I like those guys from Naïve, Zany Zealot…Sushant, Rohit Sahu etc.

There are so many more that I haven’t listed who I really admire the list would be very very long.

GUITARS:

As with my choice of music I like collecting and playing all time classic electric guitars.

Currently I own:

1. Gibson 1961 Reissue SG

2. Fender American Vintage 1957 Reissue Stratocaster

3. Fender American Vintage 1952 Reissue Telecaster

I plan to add a few more to my harem before I get old. A Lester, some kind of P-90’s guitar and a semi hollowbody perhaps….lets see.

AMPS:

1. Fender Pro junior

2. Marshall Handwired Reissue 2061X thru 2061CX 2×12 cab

3. Marshall DSL 50 head thru 1960 AV 4×12 cab

4. The ‘Legendary’ Pignose 7-100
EFFECTS:

I am deploying a minimalist approach to playing guitar and completely giving up effect pedals relying just on the guitar-cable- amp approach. The only pedal I am considering is a nice clean boost to give a good kick to my amps. I own a Boss TU2 Chromatic tuner and a Teese RMC Picture wah which I use sparingly. I recently sold all my other pedals.

Here’s how I used to set up:

DREAM SETUP:

I have managed to collect some of my dream guitars and amps but would love to have these

Gibson R8 Les Paul in Plaintop Icetea.
A P-90 pickup guitar (I have been really digging P-90’s tone these days)
Gibson ES-335
Vox AC-15 amp
A Blackface Fender
A Tweed Fender

$$$!!! OUCH!!! But it’s a dream right?

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE:

Essential things to know “from gear perspective” before playing live

Guitars

1. Make sure your guitars don’t have very old strings. Keep spare guitar strings just in case. I really don’t like brand new strings on guitars….personally I like to abuse them for at least a few days before a show just to make sure that it’s settled well. I don’t like the too bright and spanky sound of new strings.

2. Tuning- This is obvious but still; make sure you tune your guitar properly to your desired tuning style. A tuner can come handy in here for quick tuning check in between songs. Have your guitar properly setup. Check for intonation accuracy.

3. Make sure you have a comfortable strap. Some guitars can be neck heavy and some can be unbalanced. A wide strap would come in handy for playing such guitars.

4. Also ensure that you are using good quality cables. There are many differences in opinion regarding this but I firmly believe that a good cable WILL affect your overall tone. This goes not only for the guitar to amp cables but also those small cables you use to link up your pedals.

Amps

1. Make sure you are familiar with the amp that you are going to be using. Better yet, if possible bring your own amp to the gig.

2. Check that your amp is in proper working order. Check for any loose cables like speaker cables or any other connections that could be loose and fix them.

3. Unless you have really high powered amps enough on their own to do a show, learn how to mic up your amps. This is an art all by itself. A lot of players in Nepal use small portable amps which are not powered enough by itself for big venues. Learning how to mic your amp to feed to the PA is essential in playing live guitar.

4. If you have a small amp mic’ed to the PA it’s a good idea to raise the amp or have it pointed towards your head for better clarity.

Pedals

1. If you’re using pedals and effects make sure they are connected and hooked up well. Nothing is as lousy as having to adjust things like power adapters and daisy chains in the middle of songs. If you’re using batteries check for their power.

2. Unless you’re U2’s The Edge, keep your pedals to the minimum; don’t add more to your pedal boards just to look cool. Unless you absolutely have to use a pedal for a certain tune, don’t keep em there to clutter things up. Too many pedals linked together whether turned on or off can color the overall tone coming out from the amps. I’d rather concentrate on playing than tap dancing!

Others

1. Make sure you do a good sound-check. Your rig may sound killer in your rehearsal space or studio but playing live you have to remember that every stage, venue, room etc is different and will have its own unique acoustics. So you have to make sure that your rig be adjusted according to the specs of the venue. This is particularly of relevance in Nepal where the PA and front of the house system is not of good quality.

2. DO NOT hesitate to make reasonable requests to the soundman. He is there to help you. If you’re after a certain sound then tell him specifically how he’d be able to help. Make requests within reasons.

3. Monitors- For optimal stage performance make sure that the monitors are in proper working order and placed accordingly.

4. If you can afford to then bring backup equipments like a second guitar or a spare amp.

5. Don’t worry about being good. Pressure will make you sound bad. Just have fun with it!

5 RECORDS THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE:
JASON SHRESTHA

What bands have you played with?

Night/Maya/Beyond
What guitar/s do you use?
Ibanez 7 string Rg 1527/classical nylon guitar (J. Thompson)

What effects do you use?
Me-x (Boss)

Some of your favorite guitarists that you listen to and/or those who have inspired you a lot:

Tommy (SADIST)/ Marcus Siepen (BLIND GUARDIAN) /Paul Masvidal & Jason Gobel of CYNIC

Favorite bands:

SADIST, CYNIC, DARK TRANQUILLITY, BLIND GUARDIAN, ARCTURUS

Currently Listening to:

Compositions of Vishal Vardwaz/Yann Tierssen

5 RECORDS THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE:

1. METALLICA – SELF TITLED

Mmmmmm…. I used to love music since I was a child…I mostly used to listen to what my brother did. When I was in the third grade, it was fun to listen to songs like Nothing Else Matters, Wherever I may Roam. Actually, I started playing guitar after listening to METALLICA.

2: UNLEASHED – WHERE NO LIFE DWELLS

When I was in fifth or sixth grade, my elder brother had bought UNLEASHED’s Where No Life Dwells. I was utterly shocked the first time I listened to guts. Back then, there was no internet. So, I had no information on UNLEASHED which further helped to increase my curiosity on the band and the music.

3: DARK TRANQUILLITY – THE GALLERY

I got this album when I was mostly into brutal death/black metal. I instantly felt that the lyrics was not only intriguing, but also complemented the music to a high degree. I realized how artistic even death metal could be.

4: SADIST – TRIBE

I don’t even have words for this album

5: ARCTURUS – LA MASQUERADE INFERNALE

I guess ARCTURUS made this album for me hahaha.

RAG N ROLL: BARDAN PRADHAN (PRALAY/HMG MOR)
Done by: Umes  Shrestha

Since this is Rag N Roll, I wanna let in one little secret about Bardan. His nick name is “Bappu” and he gets mad like a bull when someone calls him with that name (reserved for special persons only).

There’s no denying that he is one of the grooviest bass guitarists ever. Always smiling (except when called Bappu), always happy (how can people be always happy), and always rocking out (except when he is playing bass). But, who wants to talk about that!

How do you define Bardan Pradhan in your own words?

Well it all depends on actually what you want to hear. No fixed meaning as such.

You used to have long hairs, now you have short. Did you mom come running after you or what?

To be precise all of my family members came running after me, my mom actually liked the long hair haha.

Have you ever felt your palms getting sweaty while playing? How does it feel?

Yeah several time’s I’ve had that feeling, to be honest when my palm gets sweaty, that’s the time when I’m going through tough lines on my bass and that feeling sucks, reminds me I gotta practice more.

Do ever you find yourself in the dilemma of – playing your bass lines right OR impressing a hottie ?

In fact I could do both simultaneously, play my lines right yet eye around at the same time.

How often do you find yourself in such dilemma (since you are good-looking and you have a five string bass and you are good-looking)?

Good looking???? Haha.. my friends call me ‘super mario’ so you can make out how good looking I am (yeah I’m giving out secrets, no worries). I play 5 string, true, but I’ve been playing underground’s mostly and undergrounds lack chicks, very few, but that doesn’t make a difference. I wish on each and every gig I came across such dilemma.

So that means you don’t get to sign much autographs for the hotties?

Actually bass player is the last member of any band chicks would ask to sign autographs. But yeah I’ve signed autographs for hotties more than a hundred times and I want you to know that I’m a good liar haha.

Do you have any annoying habits that your fans should know – just as a precaution before they swarm you for autographs?

Yeah I get real horny after each and every gig, so I don’t wanna sign autographs on paper’s, anywhere else would be fine, know what I mean.

What are the things that you completely suck at?

Lot of things actually, I can’t swim, I’m a hydro-phobic, sincere request “aba dekhi swimming pool najik gig na rakhnu hai’, sachai!! And yeah I can’t impress girls or sing praises of them (I wish I had this quality. LOL).

Do you ever feel like giving up playing in a band and start remixing Nepali songs?

Definitely, but my intensions in remixing songs would be to bring the remix industry down, not up. I really want to remix a song that would suck so bad people would never want to listen to one, and most probably feature NDK on the video, a perfect combination for the most irritating video and song.

If you ever decide to do that (start remixing Nepali songs), will you let me direct the video. I have a concept: some laydis stripping and some giving lapdances, isn’t it unique for Nepal?

Wow, why limit it to only stripping and lap dances, lets make a sleazy video, first time in Nepal, who care’s if it ever passes the censorship haina, director definitely you.

Do you think people will call you and me a sell-out after that?

No doubt at all LOL.

What do you think – people recognize you as the Bassist of PRALAY or as the Bassist of HMG MINISTRY OF ROCK?

Tough one for me actually, but it’s up to those who actually recognize me, I’m not sure how they recognize me, but I would want to be recognized as the bassist of PRALAY/HMG.

Ok, I’ve heard a true rumor. You were never willing to join HMG MOR but Deep dai threatened you that he would bust your ass and put you in Hanumaan Dhoka for a whole week. So you got pissed scared and then joined HMG MOR. Your comments –

Hahaha…no comments, if I make one I will be thrown in Hanuman Dhoka, I’m still in probation, my every comments are still monitored, anything against HMG can get me in a real trouble haha.

Enlighten us – how is the practice with PRALAY different from practice with HMG MOR?

Vast difference, with PRALAY it’s disciplined, structured, fun just like the band IRON MAIDEN and their songs. With HMG its celebration, and ‘fuck the world kindda attitude’ just like the band’s that HMG covers, I’m damn lucky to be associated with both the bands.

How do you manage to practice with two bands.. don’t you have any other stuff to do – like go on a date with your girl or like visit her parents or like bribe her brother or like get beaten by her brother or I mean like you know like .. OTHER STUFF?

Luckily she doesn’t have a brother, so no problem with that part, date!! That’s the other thing I completely suck at, PRALAY ra HMG eutai gig mah bhayo bhanay tah mero chaak bata dhuwa niskincha sachai. Naxal bata MPC no rest in between.

Ok.. seriously, which band is fun to play with – PRALAY or HMG MOR?

Haha tricky one but definitely both the bands, I’m telling you I’m one lucky bass player, great bands both.

What are the things you have always wanted to complain about both bands? This is your one and only chance, so go ahead.

I tell you each and every member in a metal band is a jerk and psychos, otherwise metal band haru form nai hudaina, sachaii ho bhanya. If each and every member’s are psychos n jerks with a little madness and passion than I bet that band will make good METAL music.

You never get to play any bass solos on both of the bands. Are you thinking of any SOLO concert or album in recent future?

Mero euta last psycho bassist saathi lay bhanya jasto..”Bardan I will be the first slap bassist of Nepal” ray, ani on his video he wants a drummer on one ‘chattan’ (huge rock), guitarist on another chattan, and him on another chattan, (yeah he said chattan, funny word) ani ‘dhadak-dhadak’ gardai slap bajaunay ray, hahaha…I would rather play within the parameters of the song, if a song demands a byass solo (as you call it) I will do it natra happy keeping the rhythm section tight and solid.

Ok, now tell us which band/musician in our local scene you would NOT want to perform with, even if they threaten you to take your bass guitars away?

So many of those, so many, especially those bands who think bass players are the least talented, and they usually have rhythm guitarist playing bass for them actually, and I hate that. Hamro local scene lai tah I respect j jasto bhaye ni. With mainstream bands almost no one of them, I would wanna perform.

As an audience, have you ever thrown bottles/stones at the stage while a band is performing? Did you have fun?

Yeah it was a long time back, bottles tah haina but I threw French fries packed in a plastic and number one condom (they were distributing packs of condoms in that gig, Rubber Soul gig I suppose) I wish I hadn’t thrown my fries but that artist sucked so bad I had to, you know.

Dhunga hanna kasto ramailo huncha ni hoina? Which band or artist in the current mainstream you would want to “dhunga hanning”?

Dhunga hanning 1974 AD, Robin, same shit even after a decade, I’m sure they’ve reached a saturation point, and yeah NSK tops the list every time, I would rather tolerate Lotus Man Horn but NSK is talent less, pure shit. I’m not against any genre of music but at least you gotta have a little talent, when it comes to NSK I could go on, so that’s it.

Ok, we’ve heard bassists are the most dumbest member of any band. Prove us wrong.

Can you repeat the question? hahaha. Yeah bass players are dumb. Our brains are as thick as our strings, and the best part is we are absolutely happy with it. LOL

How often do you read papers, or watch TV and be concerned about our country’s political situation?

Almost everyday, the situation is not good at all and I’ve got used to it now, but we gotta live with it, that’s the only option we have.

Do you think Girija Babu and the likes will still be around in the next , say .. 10 years to follow? How do you feel about that?

Haha definitely no, I guarantee they won’t be around even for a year. Things will change just like it has always.

Since you are associated with HMG MINISTRY OF ROCK, do you think that there should be a “real” Ministry of Rock in our country?

I wish there was one, and I’m sure Deep dai would head that ministry, wow budget announcement mah kasto hunay hola, “metal bands haru lagi yo barsa gata barsa bhanda dherai 2 crore chutaiyeko cha”.

Ok.. why.. I mean, WHY THE FUCK did you play in the video of AASTHA? Shouldn’t someone beat you to death? Is it because their “Accent” turned you on? Made you wanna do things?

”I was bad to LOOSE you,” was I?
Haha…actually I’ve always wanted to see if Naren of Aastha had real eyes because it’s close to non-existence, he is very chinky, and yeah he has a pair. I saw it, my prime reason for playing in his video.

Choose one:

PRALAY or HMG MOR
Both.. cant live without both.

Buff Mo:mo or Veg Mo:mo.
Buff mo:mo ni, because buffalos are endangered species, look bass player’s are not dumb.

Say No to Track Singers or Stone the Track Singers:
Say NO to track singers, I don’t wanna give them the idea that their existence are bothering us, they are invisible for me, I don’t even care that they exist.

Four String Bass or Five String Bass:
None of the above, definitely ‘g-string’. I think I’m horny again.

Guitar Solo or Drum Solo:
Drum solo, if its guitar solo u have to play bass along, if its drum solo, usually it’s the drummer alone who does his structure, well deserved rest for a bass player.

Your Bass or your Cell-phone:
Bass ni.. neck is long so network ramro tipcha.

Mr. Hankey or Christmas Poo?
Oh ho too much for a bass player to answer, will take me days to figure out what the question actually means lol

Comment on your pics:

Haha yeti lamo bhayecha, no wonder mero cell ko network has improved, yo antenna rakhay pachi, Kantipur ni clear aucha ghar mah.

Ah ha beekar katya kapal, Deep dai must be thinking, ‘yo fuchey haru sanga ni sakayna’, Anyways one of my fav pic yo.

If the track-singers ever stopped singing on tracks (because of the fear of getting stoned to death) and you were hired to back them up, which one would you choose and why – A) Kamal Man Singh, B) Anil Singh, C) Avinash Ghisingh or D) Astha. Remember, they might pay you good!

Astha again, I still wanna confirm if Naren has eyes or not, I don’t care about the money, the moment it’s confirmed I exit the stage.

Second lastly, recommend us some of the worst bands/singers of all times.

Hamro Nepal ko bhanchu hai: this is purely my point of view

1. NSK again – talent less.
2. Mepali ma “Oh Carol” gaunay singer – I saw his video recently and I was speechless.
3. Nepali ma ‘My love’ gaunay band – no comments.
4. Mad-zone – marna lagayko rap.
5. Axis and Saayas – for the fact that they choose the easy way out. Let some one else do the hard work, guys rock was never meant to be like this.

List could go on…

Your last words:

United we rock divided we still rock.

INTERVIEW: LOST OBLIVION, EPITAPH & VHUMI
Interviewd by: Umes Shrestha/Dipesh Gautam
Transcribed by: Prateek Raj Bhandari

Just recently LOST OBLIVION, VHUMI and EPITAPH toured (sort of) Pokhara and played at the Pokhara Engineering College. The concert was organized by the students of PEC and was also supported by pkrROCKS.com, our own network site based in Pokhara Valley. Here’s the transcript of a very vibrant talk we (Umes and Dipesh) had with the bands members.

Participants: L to R

Bikash (vocalist – VHUMI), Roshan (guitarist – LOST OBLIVION), Abhisek (vocalist – LOST OBLIVION), Khagendra (vocalist – EPITAPH), Anil (bass guitarist – VHUMI)

How was your experience there? What did you expect the concert to be and how did it turn out?

Khagendra: We initially thought that the sound system wouldn’t be as good. Aafnaie bhaar ma bajaunu parcha jasto lagya thyo, tara teso bhayena. The organizers asked us and brought the things we wanted. The sound system was pretty good. The soundman and arrangers had never listened to our kind music; it was their first time in a metal gig however they still pulled it out right. Ramraie Bhayo.

Anil: I expected headbanging, tara khasaie bhayena. First time bhayera hola. We hope to see it next time we perform there. Sound system affaie milayera bajaunu paryo. The sound system worked fine, as we could co-operate well with the soundman, and he also understood our needs.

Abhishek: Dammi naiee bhayo. We can’t expect a mosh-pit on the first metal gig itself. There were some metal listeners, but even rock fans got to know about metal music. Organizers treated us very well. The arrangements for our food and accommodation were very well and systematic. They also fulfilled our extra needs like G, alcohols etc. ramailo bhayo. (kina nahunu?)

Anil : And we didn’t have to spend our personal expenses on anything. How I see it is that it was our first performance there and 2-3 bands seemed very excited after they saw us play. They had the competitive spirit. Once these guys rise with this spirit, metal shows in Pokhara are sure to rise.

Bikash: It started in a very different manner from what we had expected. It turned out to be so much better. Organizers didn’t call us with profit motive. They wanted Pokhara’s crowd to witness metal bands from Kathmandu. This is something different that I found there.

Roshan: Though it was a new place, we felt comfortable. When we reached there, they came to us and sat with us, gave us company and made us feel comfortable. Khushi lagyo, ramraie bhayo.

Abhishek: Actually they were trying to organize “Battle of the Bands” or something like that but due to lack of bands, it got cancelled and turned out into a regular gig. There were some bands from Pokhara performing too. A band was playing stuffs like White stripes etc. They were nice. We didn’t get the chance to see any metal bands, we missed it

This concert has stood as an opening door for playing outside valley. What is the possibility for underground bands from Kathmandu to tour outside valley?

Anil: More than possibility for us, it is the people from those cites who should seek to support us. Hammi matraie janchau bhanera kyie kaam chaina. A person/group from those areas should come forward and say that they are willing to look after things, take up responsibilities and organize the concert. They should come up with that much. Then we can gather few bands and go out there. Just like this Pokhara gig.

Abhishek: The main organizing role should be handled by some capable person from that area.

How many people showed up that day?

Abhishek: Around 200 people were present.

Bikash: There were approximately 100 metal listeners, and many others might not have showed up. Second thing is that many people left early too.

There are other bands too in Kathmandu, why do you think they selected these three bands only?

Khagendra : lah yaar, kasto question sodhya. Dammi bhayera ni…. Well it might be cause, we’ve been playing around for quiet a long. ktmROCKS forum ma ni kura chali rahancha. They might have called because of the supporters there.

Did you get any feedback from the locals out there? Was their any interaction with them?

Khagendra: They didn’t come to us directly for the feedbacks. They did it through the organizers though.

Bikash: After we finished our set and were returning to where we were sitting before, a bunch guys wearing metal tshirts did come to us and told the type of music they like and that they liked our song Stone Hunter and other songs. We were talking and just then the guys from pkrrocks.com called to take us to our lodge.

Abhishek: Some band also came to us and talked about their plans. We also interacted with the bands there.

Khagendra: lah! Timi harule interact garna paayo? Hamile ta payena yaar.

Abhishek: Timi college ko Table Tennis board muni gayo bhandai thyo, ani kaah interaction huncha ra?

Khagendra: Maile ta ajai samjhako timi haru laie, college ma gayera nakha bhaneko. Namaneyko hoina timharu? Kamta chan enharu! Malaie dosh laucha yaar, TT board muni G khako bhanera.

Roshan: ho usley samjako ho. Nakha nakha bhandaie thyo.

Khagendra: Tinharu le ta bhanyo hola yaar, Kathmandu ko kta haru ta saab khattam hudo rahecha bhanera. Driver le ta bhanya sunya ho mailey. “hamro chora ta yesto nahos” bhandaie thyo.

Are you guys planning on going there again?

Abhishek: Hamley sunya anusaar chai tyo bhai le aba 3 hapta ma feri garne bhandaie thyo.

Khagendra: They have only planned for it. We don’t know what’s going to happen, whether they will or not.

So you all had great time, crowd was appreciative but didn’t do headbanging. Letting aside these things, let us know about some “funny” incidents that took place while traveling.

(A big laugh from everyone!)

Khagendra: It all started when we got on the Microbus, it was all fine till we reached Thankot. Then after that, I don’t know what happened, everyone started laughing on and on. It was a reserved Microbus sent from Pokhara, hawa nachirney Microbus tyo pani, jhyaal pani ekdam aeroplane ko jasto system bhayeko dammi micro. It couldn’t be opened.

I was sitting on the last seat, our drummer Pujan was on the front seat. All of a sudden our drummer puked out from his window and it got all splashed on the window on my side.
(Another big laugh from everyone!)

Didn’t any kind of fight take place between the bands?

Khagendra: No, no such thing. If there was such fight then we wouldn’t be here together.

How come?

Khagendra: Tei ho, musical relation bhaye pachi, music eutaie bhaye pacchi, whole world naie eutai kura ma matraie huncha. Music ma no races, no faces, no nothing.

Abhishek: Music connects bands bhancha ni…tyoni ho.

Let’s get back to the funny incidents…

Khagendra: Ani Fewa taal ma jhandaie saili lai jiskako.

Bikash: Fewa taal ma “Saili” bhanera jiskako ta arka ko budhi po rahecha.

Anil: Thankot ko kura sakey ko chaina…kaha Fewa Taal pugeyko?

Khagendra: Ah yo manche le laast bhandai thyo – “malekhu ma jharnu parcha, malekhu ma jharnu parcha” bhanera. Malekhu aauda ta “aaahh” garera hasira ko k sabai jana.

Roshan: Sabsey khattra incident chaie tyo mandir bata farkida EPITAPH harayera aadi ghanta.. Boat naie harayera, kaha kaha.

Khagendra: Boat harayera kta haru kya psycho bhaera. Oie tide aauna lagyo, timi haru chito aija natra morchas re kya sidhaie. Hami ta paani muni timi haru lai khoji rako re kya.

We had gone in 3 separate boats. People on the other boat said that they’ll go swim, while we decided to wander at other place. Farkera aauda keta haru ta gayab. Kasto bheja kharaab! Paara ko boat ma hoki bhanera najik gayo, feri arko boat ma heryo, tyo pani hoina. Ghumya ghummyaie bhayeko tyo bichama. At last we were going back to the shore, and right then Roshan calls us and tells “oye aaja tide aaune bela bhayo, chito aaija, dunga dubcha.”.. kya psyk-choooo bhaera k. ekaie chin ma aie pugera. It was getting dark when we reached. These guys were waiting for us looking here and there at the fishing spot.

Abhishek: Enharu saab boating gari ra, Ma chaie eklaie hunting garira, Shyangjha mathi…jandaie Lumbini pugeyko.

Anil: Kei gari aaru band Pokhara gayo bhane, hunting chaie janu parcha bhanne chaina haie.

Abhishek : yo chaie hamro weed benefit ko lagi ho.

Khagendra : Aba hami yaha chai King size banayera khanchau, tya chai Emperor type ko banayera khaedira.

Abhishek : Dueta king size joint jodera yatro thulo banayera khaera.

Euta incident chiae, hamro organizer bhai basdai thyo, babaal halla bhae rathyo. Kta haru laptop liyera ga thyo, geet sundai saab band haru eutaie room ma G khadaie…Bhai ko mukh ma mato ko dallo aayecha k, ayeso hereko ta utta hotel bata mato fyaali rako rahecha ekdaam halla garyo bhanera.

Khagendra: “O Shey-tth (shit)” re kya, jhyaal kholera.

Abhishek: Anil le 2 puff G khayo, bha ko kura. Agi dekhi non-stop bolira thyo kya. 2 puff diye pacchi taaka majale sutyo kya.

Roshan: Ani tyo “smth” magazine (Japanese porn mag) pani thyo ni tyaha…hahaha Kurda kurda, kohile eta kohile utta lagcha. Jhanjat parya ho tyo magazine ta.

Anil: Tyo magazine chaie maile lagya ho hai.

Abhishek: Pura ghokera katha sunaudai thyo.

Anil: Aagadi agadi ta halla hunthyo ni. Pachadi kina halla hudaina bhanchu ta, kta haru saab magazine herdai re cha

Khagendra: Usle ta aaba Japanese nabuujeni padhdeney kya.

Roshan: Afnai story.

Abhishek: Bihanai mukh dhoya chaina, cha-saat jana kta haru k gardai cha bhanchu ta, magazine padhira re chan kya, breakfast pani khayeko chaina.

So not a single bad experience or “ryaag hunne” incident?

Bikash: The best thing about this gig is that it had no such “naramilo” thing.

Abhishek: Police le jhandaie samatya thyo. Police ka janna pani ramailo hunthyo tara daat majdaie. utta patti ko hotel ma jagada pareko raicha. Cops aaye chan, tya ta tei ho saab laie samatera lagcha ekai choti.

Anil: Then the other thing is that unlike people here who come to the concert drinking twat to have fun, I didn’t find such thing in Pokhara. Koie jhyaap bhayara wild bhayeko dekhina. Saabai jana aayo, afnai taal ma ramyo, euta chutaie ramailo garyo. There was no such hooting or anything like that.

Khagendra: Hamro yaha concert haru ma soundsystem milaunu parcha ni. And in the process so people shout “oye yaha practice garne ho…ghar ja” bhancha ni. It was not like that there. If something went wrong in the soundsystem then they don’t start shouting and making asshole comments to the bands, rather they blame it on the arrangers. The crowd was very supportive.

Abhishek: After we finished our set, there were many people eager to talk to us. But we had to leave as organizers had called us, and it was getting extremely hot too. Its not like we were trying to show our attitude, we wanted to stay and see the rest of the show.

Bikash: They shouldn’t take it as an attitude problem. Aba organizers haru le bolaye pacchi ta hammi janu pari halyo ni.

Who was the “Wildest Manche” among all the band members?

Roshan: I will go for Pujan (EPITAPH ko drummer).

Bikash: Ani tyo euta chaie care nai nagarene – Navin (LO ko bassist). Jada kheri jasto thyo aauda kheri ni testaie thyo, ek choti pani nuhayeko chaina.

How was Pokhara over all?

Khagendra: It’s a bit foreign influenced. Since there are lots of Tourists, the local lifestyle also goes a bit with theirs.

Bikash: Tyaha khaiere haru hidya matraie dekhencha, baru local haru hidya dekhidaina, koie scooter ma koie bike ma… Mailey chaie chwaak keti haru dekhnai payena.

Anil: Arko pali jada chahi, chwaak chwaak dekhna pau… hey bhagwaan.

Bikash: Organizer laai ni bhanne ni.

Which is more “ramailo” from the concert point of view – kathmandu or pokhara?

Khagendra: If we lived in Pokhara then kathmandu would be ramailo, and vice versa.

Anil: I don’t really want to answer this question right now. Pokhara laai ek barsha time dine ho kya. Ani tes pachi matrai bhanne.

Roshan: Je bhe ni, Kathmandu bhanya Kathmandu ho ni. We’ve been watching and playing here since our early days. We are very familiar with the place. Tehi concert tehi sound system, tehi crowd, tehi venue, we’ve grown very familiar with the place.

Khagendra: Metal society jata thulo huncha, tyataie ramailo huncha. Metal scene is growing in Pokhara too. Who knows, maybe tomorrow the metal society out there might be more than what it is here. It depends on the society.

Do you have to say anything to the organizers and the Pokhara’s audience? This is your chance.

Khagendra: Organizers should keep up with this kind of gigs. They shouldn’t give up. Underground music won’t turn in huge profits, tyeti profit oriented pani hunu hudaina support garne ho bhane. They should carry on with gigs like this.. Crowd was very appreciative. They listened very attentively. But what I like to say is that they pay to come to the gig to watch a band play. So they must totally enjoy the music, ayetikaie herera gayera hudaina. Easy listening can be done at home too. Since they pay for the concert, they should fully enjoy and have a great time. Its not necessary to get drunk to jump around. Music itself gives them the energy to do so.

Roshan: Thanks a lot for the support. Jun yo concert garyo ni, faraak bhayo ni alikati. So we would like to thank the audience, organizers sabbaie laie.

Anil: We didn’t go to Pokhara to force people into listening metal. Jo jo le metal bujcha, aau, bujna ichchya cha bhane aau-hera-jau. Tara duniya nabujney manche haru aayera, nabujera jpayotei kura katney chai nagarau. Ani thanks to organizer, audience, PEC college, pkrrocks.com, Organizer bhaie, Pokhara ko sabaie manche laie pani- dhanyabad, ani tyo lodge ko manche laie pani dhanyabad. Ani saieli laie chaie hammi feri aauchau, arko pali dhunga batulera rakhnu hola, narakheko khanda ma hami aayera batuledeula.

Abhishek: Hami ajaie yesto concert garna paierakhos, hami laie paisa pani chaidaina.

Anil: Lost Oblivian laie paisa chaindaina, especially Abhishek laie nadinu… tara socheko bhanda chaie dheraie ramro bhayo. Yaha ko organizer heri tyaha ko organizer chaie dheraie ramro. (“thikcha, thikcha…”- Umes)..ani utta ko organizer laie herera yaha ko le dheraie siknu parcha…and then the youngs guys out there should also work hard and develop the music scene along with pkrrocks.com

EDITORIAL

• Yay or Nay

IN THE VAULT

• THE SILVERSTONE

INTERVIEWS

• Bikash Gurung (VHUMI)
• THE TIME
• NARSIL – India

RAG n ROLL

• Sharad Shrestha (THE AXE)

5 RECORDS THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE

• Sunny Tuladhar (ATOMIC BUSH, ELYSIUM)

KNOW MY GEAR

• Sameer Man Singh (MAYA)

CONCERT REVIEWS

• Rockers on Parade, Sano Gaucharan
• SICK OF IT ALL, Sydney
• Maryland Deathfest V, Maryland USA

ALBUM REVIEWS

• A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors: XASTHUR
• Fucking Is A Great Way To Get To Know New People – INFERIA
• United Abominatoins – MEGADETH
• Descend Into The Absurd: FLESHCRAWL
• Imperial Doom – MONSTOSITY

ARTICLE

• Black Metal Section: Decrystallizing Reason
• Basic Home Recording

ARTICLE: BASIC HOME RECORDING

By: Praveen Chettri

MINIMUM RESOURCES USED

I’ve had a lot of people ask me about home recording especially after they listen to some of my old recordings. They then find out that it isn’t as hard as they initially thought it would be. Ok let’s get to the main subject of interest.

Here is a list of the minimum requirements-

- A computer with a working normal sound card

- Enough hard disk space. (One track in wav format takes up to around 40mb)

- A recording software like Cakewalk Sonar, Cubase, etc. (I use Cakewalk Sonar)

- An instrument/microphone – Lets say a guitar for now

- A working Guitar cable(mic cable for mic of course)

- A jack converter. One that converts a 1/4” guitar jack to 1/8” so that it can fit into the 1/8” mic/line in input on your sound card

That’s basically it. Now it’s just up to you and your ears to be able to make your recording sound good.

Here’s how you can begin

- Connect your guitar to the soundcard using a guitar cable with the jack converter

- Try learning how to use your software from the “help” section. It really “helps”. hehe.

- In Cakewalk Sonar which I use, the only thing I need to do is specify my sound card driver to the software. Then I take a track on the software, arm the track for recording, click the record button and walla!!

ENHANCEMENTS TO ADD COLOR TO YOUR RECORDING:

Software plays a very important role in enhancing your sound especially when you are not using hardware devices. The following are effects that you can apply to your recording from your software or software plug-ins. Modern computer technology offers a wide range software plug-ins which are even favored over hardware devices. I won’t go on explaining what each effect does in detail. That’s a whole new topic.

EQUALIZATION (EQ)
You can use a Graphic Equalizer or a parametric Equalizer. An equalizer basically alters 3 parts of your sound- Bass, Mid and treble. You can use the EQ to adjust Bass, Mid or Treble levels to shape your tone. The Bass is the Low end (Bassy-low pitched sound) while the Treble is the High end (high pitched sharp sound). Mid is just what it suggest – the middle.

Example- Say you recorded your guitar but it sounds too bassy and has no sharpness to it. Just apply the EQ to it. Reduce the bass levels till it sounds ok for you. If necessary increase the Mid and Treble levels.

Sound mixing, leveling, etc are all outcomes of experimentation. There isn’t a fixed amount of level alteration I can state here for you. You’ll have to mess around with the levels till you find something that suits your taste and style.

COMPRESSION
Compression is what can actually make your home recording sound professional. It’s usually the lack of proper compression that makes something sound low quality. Compression simply reduces the volume of really loud signals and increases the volume levels of softer signals.

REVERB
Reverb is the effect you get when you sing in the bathroom. The amount of reverb you want to add to a recording depends upon instrument, style, taste and atmosphere. Here’s a simple example- You would want to add a decent amount of reverb to a guitar solo if it is one of sustain and flow. For something punchy like heavy “in your face” riffing, less amount or no reverb is used.

Just the use of these three for vocal tracks is enough. However, you can always experiment and add effects like CHORUS, PHASER, FLANGER, VOCAL DISTORTION, DELAY etc. You can find all these effects and more in recording programs and software plug-ins.

As for guitar, since according to the minimum requirement, there are no physical effect-pedals mentioned, you can use software guitar effects. The one I like to use is called “Native Instrument Guitar Rig 2”.

If offers AMP and CABINET SELECTION, DISTORTION/OVERDRIVE, Modulation effects (like CHORUS, FLANGER), COMPRESSION, EQ and other nifty features. It is possible to use this software as a plug-in with your recording software.

Just remember one thing – If you are not mic-ing an amp while recording, please use a virtual amp like that of Guitar Rig. Trust me!

BLACK METAL SECTION: DECRYSTALLIZING REASON

By: Dipesh Gautam

What once was is now away
All the blood…
All the longing and pain that ruled are away…
Forever…
We are not dead…
We have never lived
-Det Som Engang Var (Burzum)

I am questioned, often by others and at times by myself: “So, what happened?” I have no answer to what “actually” happened. I am just like the others, those who have not witnessed anything, the ones whose acquaintance with the fact is limited to the electronic media where truth and hypes have similar face. You and me, we are just like blindfolded sheeps sitting in front of our computer sets and accepting what they tell us to be the fact as truth. Dead shot himself and Euronymous was murdered by the Count. What brought about this is beyond my subject here. What I can say is people knew nothing about Black Metal until all the wrongs happened. Until churches were set ablaze and until people were being murdered, no one gave a shit. Black Metal hit Scandinavia like a sudden wave. In about 7 years, Black Metal witnessed both its beginning and end. That is what I can affirm for sure.

Still, some may disagree with my statement that Black Metal is dead. But, come to think of it. If you carefully listen to Black Metal bands after 1995, each new band seems to be following what was once created by the tr00 artists. There is nothing remarkably new. There has not been a single significant Black Metal release since the mid 90s, and even if there were any, they lay under the shades of the mainstream Black Metallish bands. After the 90s, there were just bands that copied the progenitors and produced mechanical music. Then, there were more bands who copied them. While some bands had no creativity at all, others compromised their creativity for popularity and wealth. Among others, I’d not fail to mention Dimmu Borgir here. Dimmu’s second release, Stormblast, if not the best, certainly is one of the best Black Metal albums of all times. It is the emancipation of novelty in Black Metal, one of the forefathers of the genre ‘Symphonic Black Metal’ as we know it today. Look at the present Dimmu Borgir. With the new release In Sorte Diaboli, they have proven that their music is just as formulaic as their three word album titles. They have not produced a single worthwhile album since Stormblast. Talking about our metalhead newbie’s favorite vampiric-gothic band Cradle of Filth is not even worth it. The ones who created Black Metal are now too old (and not cold enough). Fenriz, from Darkthrone said that he had stopped playing music since 1995. The quality of Darkthrone’s later releases confirms his statement. Bands like Gorgoroth and Dark Funeral haven’t still grown up from their childish satanic gimmick which will help attract more thoughtless kids into Black Metal. After masterpieces such as ‘Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk’ and ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’, Emperor was not able to create anything worthy and finally broke up for good. While Ulver and Behemoth changed their direction, Satyricon wandered directionless and started producing techno Metallish albums. Mayhem, after De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, is as worthless as any other gothic EMOcore band.

People say Black Metal buried itself in its own grave. They say Black Metal failed because of the arsons, murders and imprisonments. I dissent with those people, their justification and reasoning. As for me, it was not Euronymous’ murder or Dead’s suicide that led to the downfall of Black Metal. I can’t completely disagree with the fact that the events that happened in Norway partly contributed in the collapse of the Black Metal scene then. Had Dead or Euronymous been alive or had the Count not been in prison today, we could have seen more of THE Black Metal era. But, art had to continue anyway, irrespective of the artist. This art sadly, died with the artists.

So, what stabbed Black Metal? Why has Black Metal been dormant and meaningless for all these years? My answer is acute. Black Metal died because of poseurs, it failed because of the hordes of imitators trying to emulate what once was art. Black Metal was a war. This war didn’t end because the warriors died; it ended because the new warriors didn’t understand the meaning of war itself. Art and creativity have no bounds. Ideas flow in all of us like a perpetual stream. It is just how much of our creativity we can employ into our art. The ones who started Black Metal knew what Black Metal actually stood for. It was not just music; it was a revolution, it was a war. It was a wave that swept everything in an instant. This genre was far from how we associate it with Rock or Metal today. It was rightly alienated music with its values and ideals far more extreme than the music itself. It opposed the ethics of Rock and Roll and even Metal itself. Associated with European Romanticist movement, it was a group of people with “will stronger than death”. There were people who embodied the spirit of nationalism and heroism. There were people who lived with the sprit of Nihilism over their lives and died for it. It was once a scene where popularity was a synonym for failure. Getting popular by playing music was totally against what Black Metal stood for back then.

“Companions, the creator seeketh, not corpses–and not herds or believers either. Fellow-creators the creator seeketh–those who grave new values on new tables.” -Friedrich Nietzsche (Thus Spake Zarathustra)

Emulating art is the representation of artlessness. Being a follower is closing your mind, your outlet of thoughts and ideas. Black Metal failed because of these artless followers. While there were only a few progenitors of Black Metal, millions of imitators started trying to be the next Burzum or the next Darkthrone. Kids who had no idea about the art and ideology behind Black Metal started claiming that they were playing Black Metal just because they followed similar musical footprints. There were bands that started playing Black Metallish music to get rich, to get laid and to get popular, to find another hobby in their desolate and worthless lives. They created music entrenched in mediocrity and added theatrics to it for the sole purpose of making themselves popular. They failed to understand what Black Metal stood for; they forged all the blood and sweat that had been poured in to construct this genre. When every lowlife fan had a band or a side project, the genre was definitely going down the drains.

These were the people who destroyed the meaning of Black Metal and turned it into Mall Metal just to fulfill their hobbies. The relapsing scene has also seen many Black Metal musicians who do not care about the philosophical side of Black Metal and claim to just play the music. These are just immature fuck heads who have no idea of what Black Metal stands for. The music created by these musicians, for me, is meaningless. Another trend developing today is producing polished Black Metal albums with high production quality which is another futile approach to make Black Metal popular among the normal mass. Though I would rate most of the Black Metal bands coming out these days as boring and monotonous, there are still a few decent Black Metal bands left. Graveland, Xasthur, Blut Aus Nord, Astrofaes, Drudkh and 1349 are among some of the new and relatively better Black Metal bands in existence. Graveland and Averse Sefira are among some bands that don’t just play the music but have some brains and some meaning to accompany their music. Whenever I hear about any notable 90’s black metal band’s new release, I can’t help speculating whether they would create something remarkable this time. Strangely, the release always turns out to be mediocre or even worse. In this scene filled with the flock of imitators, instead of listening to the new wave of so-called Black Metal, I now choose to embrace what once was: Epic releases such as ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’, ‘In the Nightside Eclipse’, ‘Hvis Lyset Tar Oss’ and ‘Under the Sign of the Black Mark’.

I’m not finding an excuse for the deeds of the BM musicians. I’m simply implying that these deeds were just a part of history. What really led to the downfall of Black Metal was the failure of the newer generation to understand the art and ideology associated with Black Metal. Black Metal is a world of Nihilism, a sphere of reconstruction through deconstruction. Black Metal, for me, is something more than life and I think I speak that for every conscious Metal aesthetic. This is neither the music for moshers and headbangers, nor for those who are seeking to get high and have a great time. It is against you: the ones whose morals and ethics mean nothing except failure. It is against your values that are taking you down through a spiral of a futile and meaningless existence. Mediocrity has no place in Black Metal. Black Metal is blasphemous music totally against what you think and do. Stay away from the mediocre Black Metal; else stay away from Black Metal altogether.

Reject mediocrity in the tr00 Black Metal scene.

IMPERIAL DOOM: MONSTROSITY

Genre:Death Metal
Rel:
Reviewed by: Rikesh Shrestha (forum member)

The debut album by the band is a classic Floridian style death metal album marinating the solid death metal rhythms of bands like DEATH and OBITUARY and mixing some unnerving percussive intensity. All the songs, except the last one are fast and heavy. The merger of fast down tuned guitar strumming, trebling bass guitar, thundering blast beats and deep throated growls alternates with classic heavy metal style Floridian Death Metal rhythm are just awesome.

Conclusively, the album has the ferocity and solid rhythm of Death Metal.

DESCEND INTO THE ABSURD: FLESHCRAWL

Genre:Death Metal
Rel:
Reviewed by: Rikesh Shrestha (forum member)

A brilliant full-debut my German Death Metal band FLASHCRAWL. The album has combination of chaotic old school Death Metal and Doom Metal. Songs have fast down-tuned heaviness of the guitar riffs with, doomy drones, semi melodic riffs and melancholic solos. Bass guitar is low tuned which helps to maintain the heaviness of the song. Drumming is full of fierce and mid paced blast beats to slow doom metal drumming patterns. Vocals are primitive growls.

Overall the chromatic progression of Death Metal and Doom metal makes this album very chaotic and atmospheric.