Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury released a new Dark Sky Burial track on December 31 called “Omiska.” Like the other Dark Sky Burial tracks he released in 2020, it’s meant to be a form of “sonic therapy for damaged times.”

It’s a very cinematic track that starts out with dark ambience and chiming keys, but becomes more uplifting as it goes on. There are several layers to it as it builds, including an Asian folk music-inspired part as well as some additional new age flair and steady yet propulsive drums.

“This track is called Omisoka which translates I hope into ‘Last great day,’” Embury explained. “It was conceived as a sort of Christmas Day theme of mine but then morphed into an end of year theme hence the title.”

“2020 as we all know has been a bizarre year, for Me I have managed to keep reasonably sane by immersing myself into creating music…” he continued. “In part this composition is my own way of sending love and thanking my family and my friends for putting up with me as I continue to take life’s rocky roller coaster ride and lastly to the followers and fans of Dark Sky Burial who have supported me so far I cannot thank you enough.”

Dark Sky Burial is a project that Embury had been developing ideas for over a long amount of time. As a musician who loves dark, experimental music and old horror/sci-fi films, he considers Dark Sky Burial to be “an inevitable and natural progression.”

Napalm Death released their latest album in October, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism. Another Embury project, supergroup Blood From the Soul with Converge’s Jacob Bannon, Aborted’s Dirk Verbeuren and Burst’s Jesper Liveröd, also released an album in 2020 called DSM-5.