INTERVIEW WITH MATHEUS
(AUTREST)

For those who are not yet familiar with Autrest, it is a one‑man atmospheric black metal project founded in 2022 in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, by musician Matheus Vidor. His music blends expansive melodies, cold atmospheres and a deep connection to the silent, wintry landscapes of his region. In just a few years he has released two albums: Follow the Cold Path (2023) and Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves (2025), establishing Autrest as one of the most compelling atmospheric black metal acts in South America

🇪🇸 Puedes leer aquí la entrevista en español

1.- Hi Matheus, this is Jose Antonio from Obsidian Sanctum PR, welcome.
Your music reflects a very strong connection to the landscapes of southern Brazil. Do you feel Autrest would exist in the same way if you had grown up in a different environment?

A large part of my inspiration comes from where I live, from the forests and climate we have here in the southern part of Brazil. At the same time, a huge part of it also comes from the influence of the bands I’ve always listened to and the way they express themselves through music. So I do believe that even if I had grown up somewhere else, Autrest would still exist because of those musical influences, even if it might have taken a slightly different form.

2.- I personally discovered your music last year when your second album came out, and it truly impressed me. In your work I notice a constant tension between beauty and harshness, between wide melodies and a very emotional aggression. Does that duality come more from your personality or from your musical vision?

I think music reflects a lot of our inner selves. Of course, we can adopt different kinds of alter egos, but in the end, it’s inevitable that musical taste, ideas, and the feelings behind an album come from both sides, both the musical vision and the personality behind it. That’s what gives such a special touch: you can convey the vibe of your emotions, your state of mind, and your personal vision of the genre.

3.- Since Autrest is a completely personal project, I imagine there is a very intimate weight behind each composition. There are no filters, no intermediaries — everything comes directly from your vision and sensitivity. What part of yourself do you feel becomes exposed when you release an album? What emotions, doubts or personal fragments reveal themselves in that process of sharing your music with the world?

I believe that because it’s something so deep and personal, there will always be insecurity about how the album will be received and interpreted, while also trying to surpass your past self musically when composing. The part that feels the most exposed is probably my state of mind and my emotions while writing the music. It’s like sharing a part of myself with the rest of the world.

4.- Listening to your music, I feel your influences range from atmospheric black metal to blackgaze and ambient. Yet all your compositions maintain a very clear and recognizable identity. What element do you consider essential for a song to remain “Autrest,” regardless of the influences or textures you incorporate?

Definitely the atmosphere and the way it complements the instruments, being able to convey sadness, anger, and melancholy within a single song is something I put a lot of effort into, making sure everything sounds harmonious and truly expresses the environment I imagine while composing.

5.- I suppose you’ve been asked this many times. Have you ever considered bringing Autrest to the stage? How do you imagine an ideal live performance for the project — minimalist, immersive, ritualistic?

It’s something I think about, but there are many factors to take into consideration when it comes to performing live: having good equipment, proper preparation, a band to complement the performance, and a solid structure to deliver something I truly consider well done for the audience, but it’s something I think a lot about doing, and consequently, it will eventually happen over time. 
You described in the question exactly what I aim for when it comes to performing live, immersive and ritualistic. Those are precisely the words I would use.  

6.- Which bands first motivated you to listen to metal? And what are you listening to these days, whether metal or other genres?

I started listening to metal when I was still a child, with gateway bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden. As I became more interested in the genre over the years, I started diving deeper into heavier styles, going through thrash metal, death metal, and eventually discovering black metal. That’s where I truly found myself and where I explored the subgenres much more deeply, which eventually led me to discover all of these atmospheric black metal and blackgaze bands that became such big inspirations for me.
Nowadays, I listen to a lot of new releases from many different styles of metal. For me, it’s very important to stay aware of what’s happening in the scene, regardless of the genre, and to support the bands that continue releasing new material. I’m constantly discovering new artists and keeping up with both underground and established bands.

7.- Each of your albums feels like a different chapter. What do you seek in each new stage: evolution, rupture, or simply honesty with the moment you’re living?

I’ve always tried to express the feelings I’m experiencing at that moment while composing. It’s a kind of emotional outlet for me. I’m always searching for growth and evolution in every possible sense, and I always want to improve with each album. The next album will definitely contain a big part of my emotions and honesty within it.

8.- What is your recording process like for each album? For example, on “Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves”. Do you start by composing the songs and then record them at home, building the layers step by step? Or do you prefer taking the ideas to a studio later to shape them more fully? I’m curious about how an initial idea — a riff, an atmosphere, a mental image — becomes a complete song within the Autrest universe.

It happens completely out of nowhere. There are days when inspiration flows naturally, where a song begins with a guitar riff and everything slowly starts fitting together, layer by layer. Other times, I simply want to express my feelings, and it starts with a melody, an atmosphere, or just the desire to create a song that sounds a certain way I imagined in my head. Every song has a different creative process.

9.- Northern Silence Productions is a legendary label within atmospheric and black metal, with a catalogue that has shaped an entire generation of listeners. What is your relationship with them like? How did you first get in touch, and what made you feel that Autrest fit their philosophy and way of working?

I got in touch with them shortly after I released my debut album, and for me, receiving a positive response from them was a great honor, because I had always listened to all the bands they released, and they were always huge inspirations to me.  I feel very aligned with Northern Silence, the label fits perfectly with the style of music I create.

10.- And finally, what are the future plans for Autrest? Do you have anything in mind for the coming months, or are you letting the project evolve more organically?

My plan is to continue creating music for Autrest,  it was through this project that I found what I genuinely want to pursue artistically. Even after finishing Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves, I never stopped composing new music, even though I had promised myself I would take a break and focus on other things.
The next album is already on the way, and the compositions are practically finished, but at the same time I’m letting things develop organically. I believe that trying to rush this natural process is not the right thing to do, and that everything slowly takes shape over time. Even though almost everything is ready, these smaller details can still take quite a long time to fully finalize.  

Thank you very much, Matheus, for taking the time to answer these questions. I appreciate your openness and the depth of your responses. I wish you the best of luck with Autrest and with all your future projects.

AUTREST LINKS:

Bandcamp
Facebook
Instagram
Spotify

Northern Silence Productions