Nepali rock

The history of rock music in Nepal dates back to the 70s 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. Bands in Kathmandu consisted mostly of people from Darjeeling (now a Indian state which used to be of Nepal until 1815 A.D) , who got close with the hippies to the extent that guitars and records were bought from them. Prism, who formed in 1976, was one of the earlier bands to start playing English songs. The members of Prism are still active playing either in other bands or in hotels and restaurants, and they still reunite sometimes as "Prism" to play on some special occasions.

Most of the bands did not record any of the originals during the 70s and 80s but things gradually started to change with bands such as The Influence and Crossroads. These bands introduced pop-rock elements to the Nepali music scene. Both bands released quite a few albums and were very popular at the time. These records were monumental in encouraging bands to record their own original material. After these bands came other bands such as The Peace, The Crisis, The Move, Metal Cross and Zenith. They also went on to produce their own records.

The scene was set for the bands and artists to record and perform their original compositions and there was also a change in direction in relation to the music that newer bands were producing. Newaz is considered to be the first hard-rock band and released their debut album in 1991. This was shortly followed by Cobweb releasing their debut album called Anjaan in 1993. They are still active and releasing albums, although they are mostly confined to pub concerts. A few years later in 1995, Milestone, a band from Pokhara, released their debut album. The first track out of that album,Adhuro Prem, is the first metal-based original song by a Nepali band. The music video for this song was broadcast on national televisions.

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. While in the US, Drishty recorded two albums in the bedroom studio setup by Iman B. Shah, but none of the albums were formally released. Mukti and Revival, which consisted one of the most senior rock and blues musicians, also releasedKalanki Ko Jam in 2000. In the same period, Robin n Looza: also made it big in the rock scene.

There were, of course, already lots of other regulars as well as "one gig" bands that were doing metal covers live. During the early and mid 1990s, a few Iron Maiden songs and Diamond Head's "Am I Evil" were concert staples. Almost every hard rock show would have those two songs played by at least one band. Many such bands have never been documented.