Review: Shane Embury ‘Atonement’

Having achieved the distinction of being the longest-serving member of the British institution, grindcore/death metal band Napalm Death, bassist, and all-around good dude, Shane Thomas Embury has been part of a movement that has transcended cultural boundaries. They unwittingly became part of a routine by 41st Best Stand Up Comedian Ever Stewart Lee (Orienteering With Napalm Death) and for that skit to become referenced in a finishing move by New Japan Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jnr to name just a few.

Outside of a sonic arsenal that has also included playing alongside members of Obituary, At The Gates, Sick Of It All and Latino extreme metal collective Brujeria. what Embury doesn’t know about audio violence probably isn’t worth knowing in a career that stretches back to the mid-eighties.

However, over the last five years, during times of global and personal turmoil, the man has come to forge a prolific output under the banner of Dark Sky Burial. Introspective and experimental, it was the culmination of years of compiling ideas for sounds and concepts beyond the blunt force trauma of his day job that the enforced downtime of the COVID era allowed him to turn his attention to.

Since taking the plunge with DSB, Embury has steadily amassed an astonishing discography of releases, including a four-album arc, dubbed as the Maze Quadrilogy, that united an artistic vision both in terms of sound and imagery as he explored emotions and spirituality through dark, electronic ambience.

Showing no signs of slowing down, the man dropped yet another release on March 7th this year in Atonement. What makes this latest album unique, it’s the first to be issued under his own name and whilst it shares a similar basis to his work with DSB in its ambient blissed-out digital nature, Atonement follows its own ‘hidden path through a labyrinth of sounds, forms, dissonances and broken gravity laws’.

Having reviewed numerous Dark Sky Burial releases, I can safely say that, despite the challenge, to try and formulate thoughts on an album rich in instrumental exploration, seeking to encapsulate feelings and create musical landscapes, one thing remains constant and that is Embury’s ability to draw the listener in and cultivate an emotional, thought-provoking response.

Aonaran (nearly every title on Atonement will make you pause in pronunciation and uplift the ending in a questioning manner) begins with mechanical clanks and grinding feedback that heralds the piston-like beat of the percussion. In the growing industrial churn, monk-like vocals surface, making the track a piece of cryogenic chamber music that is cold and yet fascinating as the spiritual collides with the machinery.

The title track itself forces its way in vibrantly with upbeat, pulsing stabs of squalling noise and sci-fi bleeps. The crump of the bass anchors the rising choral synth, giving the track an alien voice that comes to life with the dancing, twitching beats, contrasting with the wheezing, woozy organ sounds of Satori.

creative sounds intermingle with the delicate plinking electronics in a detached and atmospheric manner…

Childlike and infused with searching, groaning sounds, there is a tender moment of nostalgic charm before the skittering tapping trip-hop rhythms appear and shy away. The machine gun buzzing, like a fly trapped against a pane of glass, brings a hectic feel as the track unravels in a growing mania. Out of the delirium, a busy yet playful and positive groove emerges in one of Atonement’s most accessible moments.

Astrophilia starts tentatively before more off-kilter and oscillating beats crunch with a glitching bite. The warble of the synth makes the track uplifting, light and airy under the steady, marching beat, whilst Ozurie picks up the baton with a more undulating, tribal sensation. Over the digital sway, noises intrude that have a similar organic root, like the experimentation of the incidental origins of some of the layers in last year’s Triptych by Harvestman. These creative sounds intermingle with the delicate plinking electronics in a detached and atmospheric manner.

The bubbling beats and jarring synth of Antaraxia clash as manic rhythms underpin the mournful melodies that ebb and flow soothingly over the frenetic percussion. The bustling, bright notes provide relief from the dancing tempo as the pace swings back and forth between the driving moments and mellow passages.

Chimes and more rhythmic dynamics, that are not defined by a drum machine, form the first half of the searching Kalokagthia, whilst the latter becomes more insistent and filled with breathy swirls as it forms a bridge between the previous track and the moody, heavier Balzenmoche. Once again, Embury returns to the clashing factory-like sounds and deep phaser pulse of earlier, evoking the feeling of the Terminator’s heartbeat before it morphs into something altogether more hopeful.

Exulansis sounds like it was tapped out on tin cans, and the bird-like chirp of the bright electronics provides interludes over the droning whine and heavy bass stomp. The vibrating pound of the beat is broken by gossamer light moments of piano before the final dub and scattershot sounds of Paracosm, with its futuristic-sounding barrage, brings a thoughtful close to the album.

Lighter than much of the work with Dark Sky Burial, Atonement sees Embury attempting to explore different places musically and mentally. Created with a free mindset that his previous dalliances with this format have led him to, this latest release was infused with a sense of liberation not bound by the constraints of working to a formula or a specific overarching theme like the Maze Quadrilogy required.

As with the other low-key releases outside of his day job, Embury is well aware that this work isn’t going to have a big crossover with those who enjoy the buzzsaw belligerence of Napalm Death. This is a personal journey that the artist needs to take, to explore and discover and if you come along for the ride, you might just find it as rewarding as he does.

Label: Extrinsic Recordings
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden