Hailing from the Blue Mountains, Carmeria have released Tragédie D’amour, their follow-up to their 2021 debut Advenae. Their take on a gothic symphonic metal sound attracted attention both in Australia and abroad. Part of that attraction was the use of the Blue Mountains themselves in the film clip for “Morningstar”.
What’s clear immediately is the huge range on vocalist Jordan Von Grae, moving from deep growls to hitting the high notes effortlessly. The band describes the album as “a melding of gothic rock and symphonic rock dressed in romance and grief.” The opener “Call for My Sorrow” gets to business after an orchestral introduction with big symphonic metal sounds and a later keytar solo.
Despite the dark looks, the band regularly reach moments of bright power pop, with the HIM-influenced “Immortal” and “Leading the Lyre” featuring highly catchy chorus lines. Throughout the album, there is a very theatrical feeling, with bass player Emma Louise Nagy adding her vocals to quite a few of the songs to give an extra layer of entwinement in the vocals.
Nagy takes over vocal duties on “Burning Ships”, a slow reminder that “On burning ships we’ll always drown.” While the vocals are easily caught in the mind, there is some room for the musicians to show off a little more, they are often background characters to the big singalong moments.
Carmeria will soon hit the road with Melbourne melodeath merchants Orpheus Omega. The two bands have a heavy Scandinavian influence and will be worth checking out during their Embers of Tragedy tour.
Carmeria: Facebook
Release Year: 2024
Label: self-released
Category: Album
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Daniel Boyle
