DS Exclusive Interview: Mat Bruso (Bury Your Dead) discusses his return to the band for “Mosh & Roll”

Mat Bruso’s return to Bury Your Dead has a lot of people very excited for the Massachusetts based brawlers new album “Mosh & Roll” (Mediaskare Records). The new material may be the ballsiest stuff yet from the group and has older fans flipping out with childlike (albeit violent) glee. Heavy and groove based as you’d expect but with those familiar Bruso screams, new songs like “Slaughterhouse Five” and “Bluebeard” really destroy. This development (and other new releases from bands like The World We Knew and Foundation) are making this an exciting year for hardcore.

I had the chance to speak to Mat Bruso recently at the Bury Your Dead show in Poughkeepsie, NY.  We spoke about his return, his time away from Bury Your Dead and his thoughts on Myke Terry.  Read the full interview here.

I had seen Bury Your Dead a few years ago on Disturbed’s “Music As A Weapon” tour with vocalist Myke Terry and thought he was very talented, impressive and diverse as a front man. I knew it was very different than Mat’s tenure with the band in terms of the melodic element, but I became a fan. Still, it was impossible to ignore the online buzz when Mat recently returned to the microphone.

Bury Your Dead were playing The Chance Complex in Poughkeepsie, NY where I had recently seen an amazing Blood For Blood/Wisdom In Chains/Lionheart show (Shout out to Richie from Wisdom In Chains). I was definitely down for another crazy show despite being pretty badly injured at Blood For Blood from a windmill kick to the chest.

I had never seen BYD live with Bruso and there is no understating how Mat revved up the packed venue, already brimming with adrenaline after Evergreen Terrace blew the roof off the place. It was awesome to see how strongly kids reacted and related to Bury Your Dead’s material. Hopefully Myke will continue to have a good career but Mat being back in the group and the band’s return to their screamy roots was sick to behold.

I saw the Poughkeepsie night of the Over The Limit II Tour, but how has the rest of your “Welcome Back” tour been going, Mat?  Evergreen Terrace and Hundreth and all the bands seemed really supportive of your return. The vibe of the whole day I attended was amped up and fun. How’s your stage stamina holding up? I remember you were joking with your band about if you were allowed to drink soda or not.

The tour has been awesome. Some good shows, some GREAT shows!  All the bands have been great, and the games of Mafia are getting pretty intense. My stamina is getting back to where it used to be, and I have been sneaking Coca-Cola the whole time.

How does it feel to be back in front of kids going nuts screaming your words back at you? What was it that made it click in your head that you were ready to do this again? Did you just miss your band bros?

Yeah, I just missed shows. The opportunity presented itself for me to come back, so I took it. The kids have been unbelievable. “Color of Money” takes 8 years off my life every time we play it, and the pile-on at the end of every night is as intense and scary as I remember.

Awesome. At the show in Poughkeepsie you were talking to the fans about your absence from the band and said some pretty cool stuff about “making every day count” because chances don’t always come again. Could you maybe share some of your thoughts along those lines for the people reading this as well?

Basically, I know life sucks. My life is a dream come true with my wife and dog, teaching, and playing shows, but even with all that I need a release, and I know other people do too. I just encourage them to make the most of opportunities, like shows, to have fun and really live.

Let’s talk about the direction you guys wanted to take for “Mosh & Roll.” “Bluebeard” was massive live. “Slaughterhouse 5” also matches the energy (and surpasses much) of the band’s catalogue. I also really love the kind of battle in the lyrics between that song that goes on between cynical thoughts and the will to go on. You can tell there was real adrenaline flowing! Also, can you talk about the Pantera cover you’ve been throwing into the live set? I heard you were gonna cover “Walk Like An Egyptian” but chose Pantera instead, haha.

We held a poll on the Bury Your Dead Facebook Page and fans picked Pantera over a few others, “Walk like an Egyptian” included. We reserve the Pantera song for shows where the audience wants to hear it, but we love playing it.  And the lyrics seem to be well received so far. “Bluebeard” is a huge song live, from beginning to end. Lyrically, “Slaughterhouse Five” is one of my favorites. I’m surprised how many kids know the words already.

Ok, It seems like there is a healthy disparity between fans who like different periods of the band for different reasons. I think that just shows you have a wide fan base. Is there anything you’d care to comment about the periods of the band when BYD had other singers? I think most people associate the group with you, overall, though I think everyone brought things to the table whether in the very beginning before you or when Myke was on board.

Yeah, I say it all the time, but people should be grateful that Myke kept bringing the Bury Your Dead, high energy show to people when I wouldn’t. I think the records they did while I was gone were certainly different, but remained heavy and the shows remained violent. What more could you want?

Bury Your Dead also has Dustin from Walls Of Jericho behind the kit now. That guy is super talented and your tempos hit harder than ever before, I think. How has it been playing with him? He’s a really funny dude. Did he ever tell you about a horrible NC-17 rated move called “The Mechanic”?

Ummm…”The Mechanic” has come up, unfortunately. But, Dustin rules. He really knows his shit, and he hits like a jackhammer. He has been so helpful already, and I look forward to all he brings to the table.

Can you talk about what older material you missed playing or lyrics you still feel a connection with singing the most? Any memories from your first time around that were especially cool that you want to share, stories from back in the day? How do you think your perspective in life has grown since you were younger and doing this, if it has changed at all?

Playing “Color of Money”. I thought it might be “Magnolia”, or “House of Straw”, but “Color of Money” is great. Those lyrics just seem to really mean a lot to people, so I enjoy giving them the chance to express that. Lyrically, this record still talks about family and forgiveness, hard luck and bad decisions, but it abandons “whiny your” lyrics. I love my life at home, so I don’t need to waste time complaining to fans about living in a van.

Some people really credit BYD with being a big force behind the emphasis of breakdowns in hardcore but I think you do it much better than bands that over-emphasize it. The songs are just better than a lot of bands who may have been influenced by you guys, not that they all suck, hahaha. Any thoughts on this?

I am very flattered that people think we helped make room at the table for these other heavy bands. I like a lot of them quite a bit. But, if they can bring energy to a live show like we do, they must be fun.

Can you tell us more about yourself and what you were passionate about while you were away from the band?

I’m a teacher now. I work with students with special-needs, and I love it. Learning about how people learn is fascinating. I will return to the classroom when this tour is over, and back to tour when vacations and snow-days permit. It’s a fun way to live.

I guess lastly, any shout outs you want to give or inspiring parting words for fans? What’s on your mind? THANKS MAT!

If you’re glad I’m back, thanks. But we should all thank my wife. If she said no, I would have listened. She rules.