Kathmandu, April 11 -- In 2001, Anil Dhital, then a seventh grader, was approached by a close friend in school and handed a pamphlet. On it, a large man sporting long hair and a wild beard, carrying a double-necked guitar, was advertising a heavy metal show. Dhital was intrigued.

The concert was at the Godavari Alumni Association (GAA) Hall in Thamel and Dhital, an aspiring musician himself, went to the show.

"Though I had listened to metal since I was a first-grader, it was my first concert, and I was fascinated," says Dhital. "The headbanging crowd looked intoxicated and wild. As I exited the concert venue, I was inspired, and my own ambitions of becoming a musician some day took root."

The band headlining the show was Ugra Karma, a ...