Underside

History

Hurtling out of the burgeoning Asian metal scene are the Nepalese noisemakers Underside. The band formed in 2010, following the country's civil war that lasted almost a decade, as a loud and aggressive response to the sociopolitical situation at the time. Now the four-piece are one of the biggest and best metal bands Nepal and neighboring India have ever seen, having toured across Europe and Australia playing to thousands at a time. Even though the metal scene in Nepal is still in its infancy, Underside are unafraid to take risks lyrically and the extremity of their music.

However, their homeland of Nepal isn't exactly suited to cultivating such a diverse scene. The country itself is very poor and as a result there is a lack of opportunities and platforms for emerging talent, but why should that stop them? To support their heavy metal brethren, members of Underside started the Silence festival in Kathmandu six years ago, and it has now become the biggest metal festival in India and Nepal attracting 4000 metalheads a year and bands like Behemoth, Sikth, The Algorithm and Vader.

Nepal was thrust into the global consciousness last year after the devastating earthquake that left more than 12,000 dead. When the disaster hit, vocalist Avishek K.C. and manager Bhuwan K.C. were in London while the rest of the band were back home. Immediately Avishek and Bhuwan went out to busk on the streets of London to raise money for the Nepal tragedy, while the rest of the band were helping friends, family and neighbors on the other side of the world The band's efforts culminated in the "Metal for Nepal" fundraiser event that raised $2500 – which was used to build a school.

(source: Underside, May 2019)