Plaguestorm is the musical outlet for Sebastian Pastor and his exceptional talent that began with Everything’s Gone Wrong in 2015. 2019 saw the debut full length ‘’Mother of Plagues’’ and the announcement of a Melodic Death Metal force that needs to be heard world wide. Bahia Blanca in Argentina may be Sebastian's physical home but the music is truly worldly and a tour de force of melodic death metal that continues the new album “‘Purifying Fire’’.
‘’Purifying Fire was born at the beginning of 2020 when I started my vacations, after having released Mother of Plagues, in my spare time I started writing some riffs, melodies and demos, not knowing that a few months later Patrick from Noble Demon would communicate with me, after some talks, we reached an agreement to release the next Plaguestorm album and we set a delivery date. I automatically concentrated on writing a new 9 or 10 song album.
‘’The meaning of Purifying Fire comes from a kind of metaphor ... in recent years there have been many great fires in the world, many of them caused by man, at some point I imagine or wonder what would happen if those fires got out of control and reached the big cities? What if we burn ourselves? Would things be better without us here? ... nature is reborn after fires… fire would purify the earth, metaphorically.
It is a more mature thought album than your predecessor. Was this intentional and the ultimate goal of Purifying Fire as a record?
‘’Several people have told me that the album sounds more mature, I don't think it was intentional, maybe the pandemic situation and some personal problems made the album sound sadder or melancholic. Many times what you compose or write comes from the situation you are going through or living through, it was not intentional, it was what came from the inside.
It is a very visceral release . Was the intent to make it such an immediate record with the subtleties there after a few listens ?
‘’As I said before, after the record agreement, I had to deliver the album on time, I had never worked this way, since I always had time available and I never had a deadline, this time I had to finish the album on time, so this generated Some internal pressure on me, I had to compose an album in 9 or 10 months, it was a challenge for me, so I used the lockdown time for the pandemic here to compose and write.
It is a more personal record in regards to loss?
‘’Yes, some songs are more personal, like "Back to Zero", "Never Learn" or "No Farewell" ... I lost my father last year, he had to go through a complicated illness, this illness was deteriorating him more and more, both physically and mentally, it was a complicated and sad situation ... This led me to compose and write this type of song that I had not done before.
Where does the anger come from ?
‘’I think it comes from the same place that sadness or melancholy comes from ... from the situations we have experienced, from the bad things that surround us, such as indifference, lies, from the corruption that submits a country ... many things provoke anger in me, and I try to transform it into music.
Other themes include man's interaction with nature. How important is this to you and how can we change it?
‘’That is one of the topics I write about the most. I have two children and I feel that the world we are leaving them is getting worse and worse. I usually watch many documentaries about pollution, climate change, etc ... The future is not very encouraging. Our children will have to live in a world that is more polluted every day, with more polluted food, with polluted air, with polluted water, with fewer natural places to enjoy. Maybe I'm a bit pessimistic, but that's the way I see it.
Having Mikael Sehlin sing your lyrics.
‘’Mikael is one of my favorite singers, I discovered him in 2009 with the album "Out of Body Experience" by his band Degradead, I think he is the ideal voice for what I had in mind, I love that he can sing in many ways and many different styles, he is a great singer and has nothing to envy to the great singers of the genre.
It is an excellent melodic death metal record . Are you proud to be associated with the genre?
‘’I have no problem with genres within metal, melodic death metal is one of my favorite genres, although the bands that I like the most of the genre are the bands that have been changing album after album, like In Flames or Dark Tranquility did, They are a huge influence on me, so I am proud to be associated with a genre that these two great bands have created.
After all I am doing Metal, and Metal has been a part of my life since I was 12 years old.
Do you find it limiting in any way ?
‘’Maybe primitive melodic death metal has some limits, that's why many bands have been mutating, it has evolved in many ways.
‘’I think it is a great challenge not to repeat yourself. or not always record the same album, for some bands this works, I like bands that take a little risk and get out of the mold a bit.
What draws you to extreme music ? And the band that started you down this path?
‘’I think it attracts me because of how it makes me feel ... extreme music gives me a feeling of strength, it makes me feel invincible, it gives me joy ... it is also incredible how it unites people, how it connects us ... Many people will not understand it, but for those of us who are into metal and especially extreme music, they will know what I mean.
being the sole creator of Plaguestorm does it allow you complete freedom to create without influence?
‘’Sure, and as I said before, when composing or writing, the final result depends a lot on my state of mind. Maybe if you compose with another person, the moods would be mixed in the song.
Are there any limitations to being a solo musician ?
‘’Yes, sometimes when you are composing you get stuck in a song and days go by without you being able to move forward, there are also times when you need someone else to give you an opinion or an idea for a song to be finished.
‘’There are also financial limitations and sometimes you have to push yourself and work twice as hard. But it's what I like to do and I enjoy it, so I'm not complaining.
The things that inspire you? the world around you or grander concepts of literature and art?
‘’In general, I don't read many books, except for biographies or things like that. I think what inspires me the most is other music and life situations. There are certain moments of the day when I need to pick up the guitar and compose, the music flows by itself. .
Plans for the Future ?
‘’At the moment the plans are to promote the album. There are two new videos on the way and I have some ideas to present some songs in live session format, I still don't know if I can do it.
Top 6 albums of all time?
uhhh how difficult, this list can change according to the time of the year haha
In Flames – The Jester Race
Carcass - Heartwork
Hypocrisy – Final Chapter
Metallica – Master of Puppets
Fear Factory - Demanufacture
Death – Individual Thought Patterns
Bandcamp: https://plaguestorm1.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plaguestorm.ar/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plaguestormarg
Album link: https://snd.click/purifying