[Album Review]: Chepang – “Lathi Charge” (2016)

Chepang, as the name explains, is a bunch of ethnic Chepang guys from the Mahabharata mountain range of central Nepal. Thanks to the complete failure of KP Oli government’s (non-existent) inclusive policy to generate youth employment in the country, they struggled to reach America. However, rather than the fabled good life there, they were bestowed with extreme hardship, discrimination due to their former pakhe lifestyle, and a feeling of alienation in the new urban wasteland. These guys then, to team up against other Mexican and African-American gangs, the filthy-rich Jewish Mob, the KKK, and the Italian Mafia, and to counter their bullying and street monopoly, formed this legion—a camaraderie—in late 2015.

Chepang, within few months, gained control over much of Queens, New York. Unlike their Mexican and African-American adversaries in the streets (who are right now fixated upon Donald Trump), these nomads are, just like the Islamic State and other radical minions of Mohamed, on a mission to conquer the world. But mind you, not with bombs and guns and penises, but their soul-penetrating music.

Music has long been used as an element of psychological warfare in war. According to the biased, Jewish-run Wikipedia, “Music and sound have been usually used [by the police], today recognized by international bodies as amounting to torture. [2] Attacking all senses without leaving any visible traces, they have formed the basis of the widely discussed torture in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib... The United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights have banned the use of loud music as a form of psychological warfare [citation needed].”

“But we are not the ones who easily bow down to them stupid laws,” said the Chepang grandmeister XTZ666. They time and again challenged and transgressed the rule in the street gang warfare—either in the guise of Sangharsha, KaliXGula or Maowali—which put them behind the bars of New York Police Department many a times. So, to commemorate the Chepang members’ times with the danthes, they have come up with a new album called ‘Lathi Charge’ (‘Strike of the Baton’ in Nepali).

The album contains 28 microsongs, making a total length of 1 minute and 39 seconds. Except this facet, there is nothing grindcore about the album although they like to call themselves ‘immigrindcore.’ Although they come from punk roots, they have conspicuously shifted their style to a more nu-metal cum alternative rock approach, a la Rage against the Machines. The fact that they have dwelled a lot in the streets can also be seen in their nigga slangs and rap music they occasionally insert in between the songs, albeit they sound forced and unoriginal. They have some deathcore and slam death metal influences too, which can be seen in their numerous breakdowns they throw in between the songs, which also sound forced and unoriginal.

However, what is original is their influence from the Chepang homeland, which range from the nostalgia of the 1988 Nepali film ‘Laure,’ and their crush on the hitherto smokin’ hot Tripti Ghimire, to their anger against KP Oli, whose government’s lack of effective policy to generate youth employment made them rot in the streets of East Cost America.

The album also contains stark hatred against the forces of evil, deceit, and hypocrisy that sum up well the current communist supreme leader of Nepal who insinuates that rhinos should be made the new national animal of Naya Nepal.

“It is a monument of love and hate towards the country that discriminated us and pushed our community even further towards marginalization,” said the member with a khukuri and ‘remember your roots’ tattooed behind one of his legs.

They have a long way to go till stardom. But in the mean time, let’s cross our fingers on how our Nepali brethren in the distant lands are able to transform themselves from infamous tol dons to Billboard chart toppers. For now, let’s all like their page on Facebook, share their page, and ask your Facebook friends to like their page as well.

Straight 9/10. Watch out for them to come, crush your skulls this summer!

[If you have come this far reading the entire crap, you may also want to read the real album review here.]