In a recent interview, Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury shared his thoughts on the late Rush drummer Neil Peart and explained how he influenced the band for their lyrics. Speaking to Louder Sound, Embury revealed he got into Rush as a kid with ‘2112.’ After sharing his admiration for certain Rush albums such as ‘A Farewell To Kings,’ ‘Permanent Waves, ‘Grace Under Pressure’ and more, he revealed the importance of Neil Peart for him as a musician:
“Neil Peart was a massively important lyricist for me. He was a big thinker, a philosopher. Even when he was writing fantasy lyrics, they resonated with me on an emotional level – he saw the layers in life. He wrote one of my favorite ever lyrics in the song Dreamline: ‘We’re only immortal for a limited time.’ It’s hard not to think, ‘How long have I got here?'”
The drummer then explained how Rush inspired Napalm Death:
“People won’t make a connection between Rush and Napalm Death, but as we’ve gone on, we’ve included some of their more odd timings into our music. There’s definitely a little bit of Rush in my side-project Dark Sky Burial, which started out as something influenced by Italian horror movie soundtracks but has moved way beyond that. Dark Sky Burial is me chronicling my inner thoughts, which is what Neil Peart did with his lyrics.”
In addition to their non-metal inspirations, Sonic Youth takes place on the list as well. Apart from their non-metal inspirations, the band, according to Barney Greenway, was heavily influenced by bands like Siege, Systematic Death, and GBH.
So it’s evident that although the two band makes different kinds of music, Rush takes a great place in the start of Embury’s music journey.
