Ad Finem Omnia interview

 Hi! After Ricardo's departure, AD FINEM OMNIA effectively became your personal vision. Did that freedom make decisions easier, or did it remove the one person who was most likely to challenge your ideas?

Hi, and thank you very much for the space and for this interview, it’s truly appreciated. Ricardo and I always had a strong creative chemistry, both in Ad Finem Omnia and in our other projects. There were never any restrictions or limitations between us; we both contributed ideas and shaped the music together. After his departure, I simply continued the legacy we had built. Ricardo was a fundamental part of the band, but the creative process was always something we carried forward as a team.

The title Senectus Viae suggests weariness earned through experience rather than defeat. What does that phrase represent to you beyond its literal meaning?

Exactly. Senectus Viae reflects something we all experience: the inevitable weariness that comes from living a life full of obstacles of every kind. At some point, everyone faces the choice between giving up or moving forward with whatever emotional and physical resources remain. Personally, I’ve had to navigate situations that pushed me to make significant decisions, including living more isolated from society. Not out of defeat, but out of the need to find a space where I could rebuild myself and keep going. For me, the title represents that accumulated fatigue, but also the determination to continue despite everything.

Your debut avoided the rawness and self-destructive aesthetics often associated with melancholic black metal. Was that a conscious rejection of a stereotype, or simply the only honest way you could write this music?

We never tried and I never intend to follow the clichés often associated with that aesthetic. It feels overused and it doesn’t represent what we want to express. When we write music and lyrics, we don’t rely on stereotypes or on what the genre is “supposed” to sound like. Our focus has always been honesty, creating from what we genuinely feel, without external expectations or the need to fit into a predefined image.

Ricardo no longer performs in the band, yet he mixed and mastered the album and even contributed one composition. Did working together in that capacity feel like closing one chapter or preserving an important part of AD FINEM OMNIA's identity?

Not at all. Ricardo simply decided to take a break from making music, while I felt the need to keep building the Project both creatively and in terms of the band’s natural growth even if that meant taking full control. He also stepped away from our main band, Sol Sistere; that was his personal decision, and I fully respect it. In Ad Finem Omnia, his work on the mixing, mastering, and one composition wasn’t about closing a chapter or preserving something specific. It was just part of our usual dynamic and the trust we’ve always had when working together.

Many black metal musicians chase atmosphere first and let the riffs serve it. Listening to Senectus Viae, it often feels like you approach the process in the opposite direction, building memorable songs that naturally create atmosphere. Is that accurate?

I’m not sure I see it exactly that way. For me, the riffs simply emerge, and each one tries to express whatever I’m feeling at that moment. If you listen to the album, you’ll notice that the riffs aren’t strictly direct or built to follow a formula; they aim to convey different emotional states. The atmosphere becomes a natural consequence of that intention, rather than something I chase first. My approach has always been to write from emotion and let the music shape its own environment.

You've played in far more aggressive bands like Totten Korps and Animus Mortis. What creative space does AD FINEM OMNIA allow that those bands never could?

AD FINEM OMNIA gives me a completely different creative space simply because I handle everything myself. In the bands you mentioned, my role was always more discreet, and to be honest, I wasn’t interested in being deeply involved at that level. This project allows me to explore ideas without limitations and without having to adapt to someone else’s vision. That freedom opens a creative world those bands because of their nature and dynamics could never offer.

There's a quiet confidence to this record. It never seems interested in overwhelming the listener with speed or density, yet it never loses intensity. Has restraint become more important to you as a songwriter over the years?

I’ve never tried to shape my music around what others might want. Everything on this record came from a completely organic place. I live in real isolation, far from scenes, social circles, or any need for approval, and the music reflects exactly that what I’m living. Since I compose everything myself, I never questioned whether I should “hold back” or “calculate” anything. I just write what I feel. I think overly calculated music belongs to people who need validation or who pretend to be something they’re not. That’s not my world. The intensity or restraint in my songs simply appears on its own, depending on what I’m experiencing at the time.

The album carries echoes of Scandinavian melancholy while never hiding its South American spirit. Do you feel geography inevitably shapes black metal, even when musicians share similar influences?

I grew up listening to Scandinavian music and many other scenes, but I’m also deeply shaped by the landscapes and identity of my own country. There’s a huge misconception out there many people think Chile is a tropical place, which is almost funny. Chile has an enormous variety of landscapes: mountains, snow, sea, countryside, desert none of it is tropical. Culturally, we’re more reserved, colder, and we live as best as we can within our circumstances.

I live in the countryside, close to the ocean, and that environment directly influences my music. Not because I consciously try to make it happen, but because it’s what I see every day. My geography is my reality, and simply looking at my surroundings gives me the inspiration to create. So even if my music carries echoes of Scandinavian melancholy, it inevitably reflects the spirit of the place where I live.

Closing an album with an instrumental is a bold decision in a genre where the final vocal statement often carries the greatest emotional weight. What made silence feel like the stronger conclusion?

It was the last piece I composed for the album, and while working on it I realized that the music alone could deliver the final statement. It didn’t need a last vocal line or an explicit message the melody already carried everything I wanted to express. I imagined it as an old path, one you walk in silence, where every step reflects what has been lived. That kind of ending felt more honest and ultimately stronger than any words.

If someone heard Senectus Viae without knowing your previous work, what single aspect would you hope convinces them this is unmistakably AD FINEM OMNIA rather than simply another melodic black metal record?

As people say, it’s already difficult to reinvent the wheel or the fire in black metal. The only thing I can say is that this is a completely honest album: it comes from what I felt and what I wanted to express. It comes directly from my mental and emotional state, along with a life that’s genuinely distant from people. I don’t intend to make music I don’t feel, nor do I try to please others by using dissonances or whatever is fashionable or trending. It’s black metal that gathers all the musical influences I’ve had throughout my life, and that makes the creative process more natural for me

You've described the music as melancholic, but melancholy isn't necessarily sorrow. Do you see it more as reflection, acceptance, nostalgia, or something else entirely?

I don’t see it as nostalgia. For me it’s more a mix of states: reflection, acceptance, and also moments of emotional darkness. I just write what I’m feeling, and we all go through different mental states. Sometimes I wanted to fight, sometimes I wanted to die, sometimes I wanted to confront things. The melancholy in the album comes from those real changes, not from any aesthetic intention.

Some artists become less interested in proving themselves after their debut and instead focus on refining what already works. Did you feel any pressure to expand your sound, or was strengthening your identity always the greater priority?

Honestly, no. Even though Ricardo was the main composer on the previous album, I took part in every song, writing arrangements and even composing some tracks myself, so the essence has always come naturally, and it’s simply what I enjoy doing. Regarding the sound, I was very satisfied: I wanted to achieve a balance between a more classic approach without losing the organic feel, while making sure every instrument could be heard clearly, because each one is a fundamental piece when perceiving the music. Maybe when I took full control I briefly doubted my compositional abilities, but I think it lasted only a few minutes, and after that I felt comfortable composing and performing everything.

The album feels remarkably cohesive despite the lineup changes behind it. Was maintaining continuity important, or did you deliberately avoid thinking about what listeners might expect after No Peace - No Dawn?

As I mentioned in a previous question, keeping the band’s style and essence came very naturally. Ricardo and I worked really well together while the project lasted, even producing albums quickly with Sol Sistere, my parallel band. So yes, maintaining that essence was important. If my composition had been completely opposite to what we had already done, I would have stepped away from continuing the project on my own. I think listeners have been satisfied with this second album.

Looking back at the person who wrote the debut in 2022, what would surprise him most about Senectus Viae?

I think what would surprise the Pablo from 2022 the most is the much more philosophical approach of the album, the cohesion, and the story each track tells. It’s a deeper and more personal perspective, very different from the more confrontational stance of No Peace. There’s greater emotionality and atmosphere in every song, while keeping a balance between the rawness of black metal and imposing melodies, without falling into anything sweet or overly sentimental. I think he would also be surprised by how all these layers came together without losing honesty, letting the music reflect exactly my mental and emotional state during this period.

If No Peace - No Dawn represented the beginning of a journey, where does Senectus Viae leave its protagonist: wiser, lonelier, or simply further down the same road?

As you said, the protagonist ends up more alone, but also more experienced. And that solitude isn’t seen as something negative  it’s more like the comfort of being with oneself, away from toxic interactions and situations in society that I’ll never relate to. From that place you realize that the only truly certain thing is death, while life is full of uncertainties. Senectus Viae reflects that point in the journey: a chosen, conscious solitude that allows everything to be seen more clearly, without the need to fit into anything. It’s a harsher state, but also a more honest one.

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