First Nepali band to be featured on MTV India and a familiar name in Nepal’s Rock music scene today, Monkey Temple comprises of Sareen Deoja (vocals), Prawol Bhattarai (guitars/vocals/back vocals), Srijan Bikram Gewali (guitars), Samrat Shah (bass) and Pratap Risal (drums), all of whom hail from Kathmandu. Although the band is mostly categorized as an alternative rock outfit, the current band members contend that their newly released album “Shades of Grey” should introduce the listeners to hints of “experimental” and “progressive” elements as well. The new album hit the markets in Kathmandu on 16th of June 2012.

The band was originally formed in the corridors of St. Xaviers School, Kathmandu, by guitarist Subodh Gurung and vocalist Sareen Deoja. They recorded their first full-length album “Black Bee & the Flower” in 2001, which helped them win a niche of supporters and create a unique identity in Kathmandu’s rock music scene. Sareen met current guitarist Prawol Bhattarai, in the United States in 2006 and they have been performing and recording music since.

The band’s new album “Shades of Grey” was recorded and mixed at the Rec. Records studio, Kathmandu, owned and operated by esteemed Nepali blues musician Mr. Sunit Kansakar and mastered by Mr. Satish Sthapit. Sareen, the vocalist, has written and composed most of the songs in the album with meaningful lyrics that primarily talk about the mystery and the inevitable ‘ups and downs’ of life.

The band currently has an official video available on YouTube for their new song “Anumati”, this particular video which was sponsored by Himalayan Distillery for placing their trademark product Ruslan Vodka turned out to be a huge success for the band, as this was the first video/song from Nepal to be featured on MTV India. MTV India acquired this video from YouTube and has regularly been airing on one of their programs MTV roots. This video was shot and edited by Mr. Sanzip Rai, owner and operator of Phoenix Studios, Kathmandu, Nepal. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.