A Dirty Dozen with MATT MITCHELL from BURIAL CLOUDS – May 2026

Photo credit: Pedro Valdez, Jr.

According to a recent press release: “Tuned Up Music is currently streaming Burn Holy, the new full-length from Portland post-doom metal collective BURIAL CLOUDS. The premiere comes in advance of the record’s official release Friday, May 22nd. BURIAL CLOUDS’ music lives in constant tension between beauty and rage, crushing riffs and intricate expanses walking the lines between inner and outer worlds, healing ritual and seditious fire. Every song is a meditation on what it means to live with a gentle, livid heart in an inhuman age.” We get co-founder and guitarist Matt to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

There’s some Arabic in Marina’s lyrics, gotta dig a little to find that. Deciphering the similes in “Eyes Without Light” is pretty interesting I think. The piano chords in “Windflower” show up in a couple other songs in different keys or transposed to other instruments. Variations on a theme I guess. The moment that chord sequence was written was actually our very first Instagram post.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I never had an identifiable moment of realization. My mom had an old nylon string guitar from the 60s that I started messing with when I was 12 or 13. I never had any chord books, lessons, etc. I just started making up my own stuff from the beginning, so once my friends started picking up instruments it was a natural evolution to start putting things into context and see what worked and why.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

I was at a church youth group sleepover when the other bad kid (shoutout David Bloom wherever you are) showed me “Fucking Hostile” by Pantera. It hit me unbelievably hard and my taste has been significantly geared towards catharsis in music, heavy or not, ever since.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

I’m really focused on rhythm in music. Even in non rhythm instruments, it’s usually one of the first things my ears key in on, so it’s impossible for me to pick one but I’d have to say Dave Turncrantz or Bjork. Dave is wildly creative and just this powerful, complex machine. The way he can play with dynamics and still have every hit come down like a whole ass building on your head, while still pushing or pulling the groove in exactly the right way and always with taste, is mind blowing. Bjork’s an absolute genius with writing, production, melody & concept but I think her sense of rhythm gets overlooked more than it should. It’s the entire reason her vocals seem as off kilter as they do. The accent is a red herring. I’d love to hear what she’d do with heavy music.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

Put me in a hot tub or hot springs and the only thing that gets me out is medical necessity.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Post-Doom isn’t quite accurate but I think it’s what we’ve sorta settled on for now, for the ease of conversation. In a fantasy world where I have more talent, I’d love to be at the exact middle ground between 2000’s Radiohead and Neurosis someday. I don’t cringe at anyone’s comparisons but more often than not, I just don’t hear it. Honestly though, it’s not my place to say what someone hears or gets from it.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Marina is always coming through with the snack preparedness. Bryce or myself are probably making drinks happen. Tim and Flynn are guaranteed to grab the acoustic if it’s around.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Never happened.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Writing and playing music is cathartic. I’ve always thought if I hadn’t done music, I’d be involved in filmmaking somehow. Editing and directing the video for “Beirut Shores” on our last album really confirmed it for me. It’s such a comprehensive creative process.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Haven’t done enough to have any thoughts on this. Maybe 6 or 7, none have been repetitive or tiring.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Not really. I would like to be able to tour more though.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Oh man there’s so many. I love to see everyone’s different processes. It’s all part of the recipe and can be really fascinating. Being there for tracking on “Bohemian Rhapsody” would be amazing. Different question but I’d love to be there for the writing of Cave In’s Until Your Heart Stops. So many insanely creative riffs and left turns in their songwriting.

BURIAL CLOUDS LINKS:

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Category: Interviews