NAPALM DEATH Bassist SHANE EMBURY To Release Debut Solo Album, 'Bridge To Resolution', In June

Dissonance Productions has announced the release of "Bridge To Resolution", the debut solo album by legendary NAPALM DEATH bassist and songwriter Shane Embury, to be issued on CD and vinyl on June 5.

Written and recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, "Bridge To Resolution" is a deeply personal work shaped by a period of reflection and upheaval in Embury's life. With touring halted, the unexpected downtime forced the NAPALM DEATH musician to confront questions about identity, family and creativity. Drawing inspiration from the psychological concept of "shadow integration" — the idea that self-discovery comes from confronting the darker parts of one's personality — the album documents a journey from despair toward resolution.

The eight tracks that make up "Bridge To Resolution" reveal a very different side of Embury's musical world. While best known for his work in extreme metal, the album draws on his long-standing love of atmospheric goth and post-punk, with influences including COCTEAU TWINS, KILLING JOKE and THE MISSION. The result is a contemplative and expansive set of songs built around Embury's use of synthesizers, guitars, bass and layered vocals.

Joining Embury on the album is Carl Stokes (ex-CANCER, GROUNDHOGS, CURRENT 93) on drums, while production duties are handled by Simon Efemey, whose credits include work with PARADISE LOST, CROWBAR and AMORPHIS. Embury performs all guitar and bass parts himself, with the music reflecting the creative burst that emerged during a time of personal struggle and introspection.

Joining NAPALM DEATH in 1987, Embury is the longest-serving member, featuring on 15 of the band's 16 albums. Despite initial bemusement from the media, NAPALM DEATH enjoyed global success, propelled by the support of John Peel. They are credited with the invention of grindcore, an extreme metal sub-genre characterized by ultra-fast songs.

In 2017 NAPALM DEATH became the first extreme metal act to play Glastonbury. They have also won Kerrang! and Metal Hammer awards.

Embury's several projects include LOCK UP, BRUJERIA, DARK SKY BURIAL and collaborations include Buzz Osborne (MELVINS),Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST),Billy Gould (FAITH NO MORE),Jello Biafra (DEAD KENNEDYS),CARDIACS and YARD ACT.

"Bridge To Resolution" track listing:

01. Spasm Prayer
02. The Dreaming Abyss
03. Bridge To Resolution
04. Thorns In Despair
05. How To Corrode Memories
06. Illusion Guillotine
07. Taurus
08. The Gift Of Shame Wrapped In Guilt

In 2023, Embury released his autobiography, "Life?… And Napalm Death", via Rocket 88, an imprint of the established British book production company Essential Works.

For Birmingham-based Embury, music is more than just a passion. It's a force that brings meaning to his life, an outlet for his creativity and a channel for his obsession. It's also given him a career as unlikely as it is groundbreaking, a testament to staying true to what you believe in, even if what you believe in sometimes seems incomprehensible or even unlistenable to others. And yet his vision has endured into a four-decade-long career, taking him around the world a hundred times, and led to some of the most seminal, iconic and important music ever to spew forth from the British underground scene.

If you know anything about Embury at all, you'll know him for his work in NAPALM DEATH. Largely misunderstood and widely mocked in their early days, NAPALM DEATH nonetheless became the benchmark for uncompromising extremity, as well as a political force for good. Dismissed by many as a ridiculous noise, NAPALM DEATH became the credible face of extreme art rock, beloved of John Peel, NME cover stars and indie music darlings. Embury's debut studio release with the band, 1988's "From Enslavement To Obliteration", remains a seminal work of raging sonic violence coupled with ultra-credible punk critiques of corrupt politics, capitalist opportunism and societal collapse. The record remains as revered today as it ever was.

Fast forward nearly 40 years and Embury has seen and done it all with NAPALM DEATH. But that is only half the story of a man propelled by creativity to make music seemingly without end, a constant flow of ideas leading to a wide variety of projects from BRUJERIA (ultra-violent Mexican drug grind),VENOMOUS CONCEPT (hardcore punk rock),DARK SKY BURIAL (experimental sci-fi-influenced ambience) and TRONOS (progressive rock),among others. His fellow collaborators include members of FAITH NO MORE, DEAD KENNEDYS, MELVINS, SICK OF IT ALL, DIMMU BORGIR and… THE WONDER STUFF.

Although music still drives him, Embury now wrestles with the responsibilities of being a husband and a father, trying to balance his time between what he loves doing, and those he loves being with. In the course of "Life?... And Napalm Death", the bassist talks openly about his struggles with mental and physical health, his battles with addiction and the bullying that affected him in his teenage years.

Image credit: Rocket 88