“A brilliant composition work, it is clear that the main element is the guitar, but it does not fall into the overwhelming; rather, it is an extremely pleasant trip.” (Nación Progresiva).

This quote from a review of his first release perfectly summarizes Sebastián’s music.

Sebastián’s music stands out for subtly incorporating Latin American and Chilean influences into his compositions. His expressive guitar playing, combined with the use of odd time signatures and polyrhythms, creates a distinctly progressive sound that is unique within the progressive metal landscape.

Chilean musician Sebastián Ocqueteau began playing acoustic guitar at the age of 9. From the start, he showed remarkable talent on the instrument and in music in general. He began listening to rock thanks to his father, who was a big fan of bands such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Jethro Tull. This inspired him to play electric guitar, which he got when he was 10 years old.

Soon after, he formed his first band with classmates. Although they mostly played Iron Maiden covers, this period marked a significant development in his electric guitar skills. Bands such as Queen, Metallica, and Van Halen also became major influences during his early school years. Around the age of 14, he heard Dream Theater for the first time — an experience that completely changed his musical perception. From then on, he immersed himself in progressive rock and metal, discovering bands like Yes, Genesis, Rush, and Symphony X.

However, music and guitar had to take a back seat for several years, becoming more of a hobby as life’s responsibilities took over. In 2010, Sebastián began studying Civil Engineering at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, not yet daring to dream that music could become a career. During this time, music remained a great passion, but it was secondary in his priorities.

After working for two years as a civil engineer, Sebastián decided to completely change his professional path and dedicate himself fully to music. In 2020, he was accepted into Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he began studying with renowned guitarist Benjamín Lechuga. Encouraged by Lechuga’s advice, Sebastián decided to start releasing music professionally. This led to the creation of his solo project “Sebastian Ocq”, featuring original instrumental music rooted in progressive metal with Latin influences.

That same year, Sebastián participated in a contest organized by the plug-in company Neural DSP, which consisted of writing a song with a duration limit of 1.5 minutes. He won first place, receiving a free plug-in of his choice. The announcement of the winners was livestreamed to an audience of more than 2,000 people.

In 2022, Sebastián released his first single, “Hypnosis”, featuring some of the most respected musicians in the progressive genre. Derek Sherinian (formerly of Dream Theater) contributed on keyboards, while the mixing and mastering were handled by Adam Bentley, guitarist and mixing engineer of Arch Echo. The song was released with an official music video filmed in Rancagua, Chile, featuring a guitar performance interwoven with scenes representing different stages of hypnosis — visually expressing the song’s concept. The dark atmosphere of the track is well captured in the video, dominated by black and blue tones.

The reception of this debut project was clearly positive. The online magazine Nación Progresiva stated that “Hypnosis is a successful debut that leaves us eager and excited to hear upcoming releases from this talented Chilean artist.”

In 2024, Sebastián released three new singles to promote his first full-length album, “Mental Mosaics”, scheduled for release in February 2026.