Shane Embury: From Grindcore to Inner Space

Shane, you’ve been at the forefront of extreme music for decades, with Napalm Death redefining what heaviness can mean. It’s a real honor to sit down and talk with you. Before we dive into your newer work, how are things right now? Are you home, touring, or in studio mode?

Hello there Arek – firstly, I have to thank you too for the interview. This is a real pleasure to do right now. I am actually in the studio recording an audio version of my book ”Life and Napalm Death,” which came out a few years ago. I am here at a studio called Headline Music Studios in Cambridge, which is a studio I come to quite a lot.

You’ve been a major figure in extreme music for decades. How has your perspective on music and creativity changed since you first joined the band in the late ’80s?

Well, it’s been a very interesting journey for me, someone who has loved Music in various forms most of his life. I first started playing drums in a death metal band in 1984, then moved to the bass guitar as I joined Napalm Death in 1987. And of course, over the years I’ve dabbled on guitar and vocals, so as the years have gone by, my confidence and my abilities have progressed, I guess, and also my experience. Although you never stop learning. I think, though, now more than ever. I’ve really come to embrace creativity more spontaneously! After so many albums with so many different projects. I feel I need to break the rules and perceptions of It All a lot more, which is probably something not new, but it is for m,e and it’s challenging and also exciting at this point in my life

With so many parallel projects (Napalm Death, Brujeria, Lock Up, etc.), what keeps you pushing into new territory rather than resting on what you’ve already done?

In a really strange way, which is probably normal for creatives, my brain is very restless, and so musically as I become more experienced, I guess the urge to create different kinds of music intensifies. I never get bored of finding out new forms of music… since I’m quite restless, it inspires me to do different things. It’s a big part of my life. And this I have accepted, and of course, we are all resting with day-to-day life, etc, too, which can become overbearing. It would be too easy to just stay the same musically and repeat over and over, but then maybe it wouldn’t be too easy. It would be very depressing, perhaps…

Looking back, what was a turning point in your career where you realized you wanted to experiment beyond “just” grind/death-metal?

Certainly, for me, even as far back as my joining Napalm Death, I used to enjoy reading the NME magazine and listening to John Peel on Radio 1 – I would read the reviews of albums, and if something sparked my interest, it didn’t really matter what kind of music it was, I felt the urge to investigate more. But I would say when I discovered the UK artist Coil, this was a really strong changing point for me. I became obsessed with loops of Sounds and the whole drama of their interesting arrangements and soundscapes. And especially around 1990, I started listening to Bands like Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly and the whole industrial movement, the sounds and noises and beats I loved. I remember tentatively forming some ideas with my Roland JV 1080 on an old Atari ST, Around 199,3 and becoming very excited about it all, but a close friend of mine borrowed my Atari ST because his had broken and unfortunately, I never got it back and as time would have it I got sidetracked with Napalm Deaths busy touring schedule and recording schedule and those initial ideas were temporarily forgotten but they stayed with me subconsciously I guess over the years … we have to try and manifest our future while staying in the difficult present.

Dark Sky Burial was born from your interest in ambient/electronic/industrial sounds during the pandemic. That’s what I was able to find on the net. Could you walk us through the moment when you decided “this is the project I want to commit to fully”?

And so yes, I guess about 2018… lots of time doing nothing on all tours. It can become uninspiring unless you have discipline, just waiting to play for one hour every night. I picked up my laptop. I only had GarageBand at the time. And started making primitive ideas and also researching into different kinds of plug-ins and synthesizers, and sound libraries online. I felt I would further flesh out the ideas when I returned home, or for future trying, I knew I had a long way to go, really, but it’s really opened up possibilities.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, this is when I finally decided to bring Dark Sky Burial alive!

It’s also a time when I guess I had a breakdown(s)  of some description – like many creatives or touring musicians finding that life balance is tough – the ambient textures and loops of sounds were endless, and it brought a calmness to my otherwise chaotic life and a way to try and process just what. It was happening to me and my feelings. It still really helps now, of course

With Dark Sky Burial, you work heavily with loops, ambient textures, and industrial and electronic elements. What tools, artists, or methods have been most influential for you lately?

Yes, I don’t feel I am reinventing any wheel. There are so many amazing musicians out there already, but it’s all very inspiring when I hear these odd sounds and beat textures that seem to come out of nowhere. I have a little ritual I I find a quirky sound, and it tends to just start. I drift into the loop or arpeggio and off to go …the same process can work multiple times if I lock into a sparkle of texture. It might make me remember a memory from long ago or an emotion. I recently started playing live, which was a challenge for me. I was very nervous about the whole thing, but I wanted to make it visual, and also because I guess I come from a band background, I did not just want to stand there doing nothing, but I found the Polyend Synth really cool. I could really jam on the synth, which I loved! And manipulate the sounds which live sounded immense! For the albums, I might take some pre-recorded drum loops and keep on building on top of them with different frequencies from a long delayed drone, and play that against a totally different sound, and I’ll try and play those frequencies against each other to create a mood or a tension. Sometimes I would take my ideas to a studio to work with my close friend and colleague, Russ Russell, who helps me filter out some unnecessary ideas as I tend to layer a lot of sounds together- finding those right frequencies can be hard. I think I’m only just starting on my quest, really, with electronic ambient music. What I like about these genres as there seems to be no limit or boundary, and it’s also a learning process for me. I have so much more to learn. Coil is a huge influence on me, and also Autechre, Squarepusher, and old eighties industrial music.

How did the Polyend gear find its way into your setup, and what role does it play in your creative process?

As above, the Polyend Synth was a lifesaver. I come from a metal background, but the Polyend Synth invites you to play as an instrument in its own entity. From a child I have always been obsessed with sounds and textures and strange time signatures – it really boosted my confidence in its ability to create, and it’s definitely gonna be a part of what I continue to work on with the next batch of dark sky burial and other related projects I am doing.  

Finally, in a career spanning grindcore pioneers, extreme metal, ambient, and industrial — is there still something you haven’t done yet that you’re itching to try?

Well, a new Dark Sky Burial album, “The Sacred Neurotic” is released on Consouling Sounds records in December. And this sees the project delve into different sonic territories for sure, it’s all over the place  – the 12th album in 5 years, ha!  I have to say I am quite obsessed with breakcore beats as well, and well I feel there’s so much interesting music out there, it really is amazing and inspiring, and lastly I hope to be making an album with Eraldo Benocchi soon, who you are all familliar with, who has been very supportive to be lately which is so much appreciated I am extremely excited about that too. It promises to be quite a unique experience 🙏🏼

Thank you so much, Shane, wishing you and all your musical projects a fruitful future. 

Thank you, Arek and Polyend, for the interview, cheers!