Formed by Nepali immigrants, Nepcali currently resides in Southern California. I discovered the band on happenstance, going to catch Russian pagan metallers Arkona perform. Donning face-paint, a sitar, tabla, and harmonium, Nepcali took the stage – it was a moving experience.
I dug deeper after the show, and the group has released a solid collection of songs over the past few years, harnessing the folk elements of an act like Bloodywood or Sepultura, while also wearing a strong 90’s influence of Rage Against the Machine, Tool, or Soundgarden.
Admittedly, their recorded music isn’t exactly capturing the live energy I saw on stage at the Whisky a Go Go, but this is certainly humble, and extremely promising beginnings. Check out their track “Mahakali;” it’s being pushed hard as a Grammy consideration, so it’d be a huge deal for their publicity to be nominated