Maaf Gara (2010) - Axis (Yuva Records)

Maaf Gara (2010)
Axix
Yuva Records
Rating: 3/5

Six years ago with Black and White, Axix formed new ripples of soft rock in the Nepali music scene. Its copies sold like hotcakes; tolling to more than 30,000. While we hummed Timi Pheri Aauna and the radio waves endlessly played Adhuro Prem, Axix were on a hideout for Maaf Gara, their second album.

With a total of nine tracks, Maaf Gara has all of shades of rock. The title track Maaf Gara has a heavy instrumental start. With a gentle vocal intro, it leads to the high chorus. With heavier instrumentation added while the lead voice soars, the second track Eklo Jiwan has a deceptively soft beginning.The chorus is beautiful and the guitar solo complements it well. A touch of fuzz takes us away from the soft intro. You can hear Sandeep's incredible vocal range in this track. With a touch of western influence, the third track Muskaan speeds up with an accumulation of heavy music that is hypnotically repetitive. Euta Maya, the next track has vocals with a melody line reminiscent of the song Honey, which looms melancholy. The music is influenced by 80's heavy metal.

Through all the heavy instrumentation, the vocal in the Mayako Artha comes out high and clear. As the song progresses, it segues into rap which gives it a different zing, as compared to the rest. The intro music in next song Timro Yaad goes back to Axis's familiar raucous style. Hida Hida is probably the highlight of the album. Superbly mixed, with great multiple choruses the song has a brilliant lead intro and it's comparatively lighter than the rest.

The second last track Muskaan 2 sways from the rebel-rousing mood of the rest of the album into a gentle, soft romantic track. The accent is on the voice and the words. The final track Hey Aama is a foot tapping farewell song to the album with some great guitar riffs. DS (Src: Wavemag)

Rage Hybrid

(Src, wavemag)

For anyone who follows Katmandu's metal gigs, Rage Hybrid needs no introduction. Maybe it is because of the choice of songs they choose to cover onstage or just the raw energy they bring forward, they have the crowd head banging to their music almost every single time. With a vibe of Slipknot and a metalcore twist to their music, these young lads are an unlikely outcome of the old neighbourhood of Joche.

Rage Hybrid performed for the first time in November 2009 at a congratulatory gig for E.Quals on them being qualified for the GBOB. For a cover band which played cover songs at concert, Rage Hybrid has come a long way. In less than eight months since their debut performance the band has two original songs ready with the third in the making. My Broken Tendency, one of their original songs, depicts the true image of the form of music the band plays.

Releasing an album is not in the list of priorities for the band. Going so-called mainstream is what they feel is against the ethics of an underground band. They plan to continue doing what they do best, performing onstage and remaining faithful to their fans. Each members share their own unique thought on how things should be in the music scene. Gaurav thinks the sound engineers are just too amateur to handle metal and never get it right, while Ranjit thinks new artists are not respected at all and never get paid. Sujan on the other hand feels a need for yet another platform where artist are promoted properly.