Shane Embury
Shane Thomas Embury (born 27 November 1967) is an English musician, who is primarily known as the bassist of the grindcore band Napalm Death since 1987—the longest-serving member of the band.
Shane Embury

Shadowgate · originally posted to Flickr as Napalm Death 06 · CC BY 2.0
- Name
- Shane Embury
- Birth Name
- Shane Thomas Embury
- Born
- 27 November 1967
- Birthplace
- Broseley, Shropshire, England
- Died
- YYYY MM DD
- Occupation
- * Musician
- Nationality
- United Kingdom.
- Fields
- death metal, deathgrind and industrial metal.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Shane Thomas Embury (born 27 November 1967) is an English musician, who is primarily known as the bassist of the grindcore band Napalm Death since 1987—the longest-serving member of the band.
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Note VALÉORINE
Shane Embury (born 1967) is a British bass guitarist, composer and musician. The bass guitarist was born in United Kingdom. Shane Embury is also known as Hongo. Shane Embury is a member of Napalm Death.
Genres include death metal, deathgrind and industrial metal. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q981856 · wikipedia · Shane Embury
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Shane Embury • Birth Name — Shane Thomas Embury • Alias — * Dark Sky Burial • Embryonomous • Hongo • Born — 27 November 1967 • Birthplace — Broseley, Shropshire, England • Died — YYYY MM DD • Occupation — * Musician • songwriter • Instruments — * Bass • guitar • Years Active — 1984–present • Genre — * Heavy metal • death metal • grindcore • industrial metal • Current Member Of — * Blood from the Soul • Brujeria • Napalm Death • Liquid Graveyard • Lock Up • Venomous Concept • Past Member Of — * Unseen Terror • Meathook Seed • Website — shaneembury.com
Napalm Death
Napalm Death
While not a founding member, Embury is the longest standing member of the band, having taken part in the Scum tour, replacing previous bassist Jim Whitely in July 1987. He was a fan of the band before he joined, first seeing them perform at Midlands venue The Mermaid the previous year and becoming close friends of the members of the band, particularly Mick Harris. Nicholas Bullen, the founding member of the band, originally asked Embury to join them before the recording of the B-side of the debut album Scum but Embury eventually declined due to nervousness, his biggest regret.
Warhammer
Warhammer
Before joining Napalm Death, Embury played drums in a death metal band called Warhammer with Mitch Dickinson. The band released one demo in 1985 called Abattoir of Death. After Warhammer, Embury and Dickinson did work as Unseen Terror. Embury also played drums in Azagthoth with fellow Warhammer guitarist Wayne Aston and bassist Pete Giles. Azagthoth recorded one demo at Rich Bitch Studios in Birmingham called Shredded Flesh.
Other projects
Other projects
• Illustration — Embury as "Hongo" with Brujeria in 2015 Embury has a long list of side projects. He performed in the grindcore band Unseen Terror with Dickinson, who was also a member of Heresy. He formed an industrial metal band called Blood from the Soul with Lou Koller from New York's Sick of It All, which released their debut album, To Spite The Gland That Breeds, in 1993; the project reformed in 2020 to release a sophomore record, DSM-5. He was in an industrial band with Mitch Harris and several Obituary members called Meathook Seed. Harris and Embury both played together in a band called Little Giant Drug, which also featured singer Simon Orme: inspired by "4AD indie rock", Little Giant Drug released one album, Prism Cast, on Org Records in 1998. Embury was also part of an unconventional band called Malformed Earthborn with Brutal Truth's bass player Dan Lilker, Lock Up with Tomas Lindberg of At the Gates, and Brujeria, a Mexican/Chicano death metal supergroup band, touring with them live in several venues, including Wacken Open Air 2017. Embury also plays with Napalm Death bandmate Danny Herrera, Kevin Sharp of Brutal Truth, and Dan Lilker of Nuclear Assault and Brutal Truth in the band Venomous Concept; and has recently toured with UK black metal/grindcore band Anaal Nathrakh. Embury recently resurrected a musical project called Absolute Power with close producer friends Simon Efemey & Russ Russell which he started in 2000, featuring Tim "Ripper" Owens on vocals & Brian Tatler of Diamond Head on guitar. Their debut album was finally released on download only though Embury's Feto Records label in 2011. More recently, Embury played on the latest Liquid Graveyard album, By Nature So Perverse with Cancer frontman and guitarist John Walker, drummer Nick Barker and vocalist Raquel Walker, released in 2016.
Personal life
Personal life
Born in Broseley, Shropshire, Shane Thomas Embury lives with his wife in Birmingham, West Midlands, and loves horror and science fiction books, movies and comics. He has tattoos on both of his arms, including the Napalm Death logo and the "Life?" image on his left arm. In 2026, Embury told an interviewer that he missed a recent tour because of pancreatitis caused by excessive drinking which has caused him to be hospitalized three times at various times of his life. He sought refuge in Alcoholics Anonymous and Jungian psychology.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Shane Embury”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q981856: Shane Embury
Unverified · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Tobin, Dan. Shane Embury interview. Earache Records.
- 2.To Spite the Gland That Breeds – Blood from the Soul | Songs, Reviews, Credits. AllMusic.
- 3.Breihan, Tom. Blood From The Soul – "Debris of Dreams". Stereogum. 13 October 2020.
- 4.Prism Cast – by Little Giant Drug (Bandcamp page)
- 5.Shane Embury To Miss Lock Up's European Tour. BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 27 January 2013.
- 6.Karsmakers.nl. Interview with Napalm Death. May 1994.
- 7.Dark Sky Burial. De Omnibus Dubitandum Est. 7 April 2020.
- 8.ContrabandCandy. Interview with Napalm Death. YouTube cbignore. 3 February 2009.
- 9.Blabbermouth. NAPALM DEATH's SHANE EMBURY Opens Up About His Battle With Pancreatitis: 'I've Been Hospitalized Three Times'. BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 2026-06-24.
- 10.Barrios, Joel. NAPALM DEATH's SHANE EMBURY Opens Up About Most Recent Pancreatitis Battle. Metal Injection. 2026-06-25.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- Life…? And Napalm Death. Rocket 88, London 2023, ISBN 9781910978986.
References
Citations
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Unverified
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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