A veteran musical group of old friends

By Mannu Shahi,Although a relatively new hardcore supergroup in the music scene, Chain Ov Dogs comprises seasoned individuals who share a humongous history. A group of old friends who love to play music together, the quartet comprises Vishal Rai on guitars, Sushil Manandhar on bass, Anil Shakya on drums and Uzwal Shrestha on vocals.

Over the years, the members of the group have together or individually been associated with mind-boggling projects such as the rock legend ‘Inside 2 Stoopid Triangles’, the metallic hardcore band ‘Jugaa’, the sludge metal quartet ‘Childwife’, the euphonious hardcore outfit ‘Neck Deep In Filth’ and the Bhaktapure grinders’ ‘Discord’ among others.   

In an industry full of altering professional relationships, one of the most fascinating aspects of this group is friendship, and it is what pushes their ability and desire to create music together in an intact line-up of friends. 

Their discography consists of their debut ‘KVHC demo EP’ released on April 25, 2022, featuring four back-to-back banger tracks. The latest single “K.V.H.C” is their second-ever release published last Friday, July 28, via their official social handles at Bandcamp and YouTube. 

K.V.H.C. is an abbreviation of Kathmandu Valley Hard-Core, and the band dedicates both their releases to this small yet tightly-knitted community 

of Kathmandu. 

Recorded at Sound Strike Studio; the single is mixed and mastered by the band’s bassist Sushil Manandhar; the cover art for the song is designed by Bhushan Shilpakar; while the video is directed, captured and edited by Karun Maharjan and Lowkey Toxi. The song also features Discord’s Keroz Shrestha and Nainsook’s Sumeet Maharjan on additional vocal duties.

The song kicks off with the whole band together led by a strong distorted guitar layered abruptly with fast piercing screeches in English by Sumeet, who leads the rest of the section which appears as the intro. 

The gradual acceleration of dynamics in the arrangement elevates the song to the hopeful chorus-like part where the band bursts into a solid riff in a 12/8 time signature. This chorus-like part follows after a short riff interlude and Uzwal takes over the mic flaunting his Nepali screams. 

The post-chorus phrase encompasses this short yet very cool guitar fill smoothly transitioning the tune to an almost half-time breakdown led by Keroz with his vigorous Nepali growls. This is followed by a new riff interlude-like phrase pacing up the arrangement for the catchy bridge which is sung in almost a 

clean enunciation. 

Overall, commendable instrumentation layering makes room throughout for all three instruments employed, brilliantly showcasing the iteration: less is more. The vocals radiate vividly and lyrically the tune glorifies the underground hustle culture lifestyle taken up by the musicians and their ethical stances.

The raw and vile aesthetics of the song is beautified further with killer guitar riffs, pounding bassline, fluxing drum patterns, tight group chemistry and well-executed arrangement. The video is simple but very effective in a live concert setting as the band enjoys sharing their music with their devoted supporters and fellow musicians. 

So, the song is a must-listen tune about the Kathmandu Valley Hard-Core community manifested by the veterans of the clique.