Carmeria – Ex Cathedra
Carmeria – Ex Cathedra
Self-Released
Release Date: 30/10/2026
Review by Beth Morait
9/10
I’ve been following Australian Symphonic Gothic Rock Metal band Carmeria since the release of their first album, because I’m a theatrical old sausage, and I love a bit of Gothic Melodrama in musical form! Now they’re back with their third full-length, so you could absolutely guarantee that I was going to snaffle it from the review queue!
“Ex Cathedra” apparently explores suffering as an unavoidable part of the human existence… This seems to be a running theme for a lot of bands at the moment, indeed I’ve reviewed at least a handful of other albums recently who take the emotion of the time and craft it into a masterpiece. This album is no exception to that rule. Yet again we have another super-strong offering for them, heavily influenced by the likes of Kamelot, HIM and Nightwish, but with a very intimate edge. I find with Carmeria’s music that, despite its grandiose, it feels like they are playing for you and only you every time you listen.
Arrangement wise, this album is, as expected, a grand, progressive, theatrical masterpiece, right from the start, with opening and title track ‘Ex Cathedra’ giving complete ‘Carmina Burana’ overture vibes, but in waltz form – a choir, timpani holding the beat, dramatic strings, distant bells. I’m seeing grand staging, elaborate costumes, and probably pyrotechnics for a live version.
Then we head into ‘Wings’ – a gentle lament that maintains the symphony, but brings the vocals really close, with very few effects, which straight away brings that intimate ‘in the room with the singers’ feeling. It’s a melancholic Rock tune first and foremost, with the orchestration sitting in the background.
‘Unto the Dawn’ switches things up a bit, and we get treated to the full rich tones of front man Jordan Von Grae’s voice. It reminds me a lot of Kamelot’s Tommy Karevik – powerful, yet effortlessly tender. There’s also something that to me sounds like a Keytar in here too, and who doesn’t love a bit of Keytar! There’s a lot of switching up in this song, that adds to the musical theatre vibe, giving the storytelling real licence to be front and centre.
The whole album is really a story about life that we can all relate to, set to music. The entire way through, I was making pictures in my mind for the staging of this. It would be in a grand theatre, not a music venue. The players would inspire emotion in the watching audience, who would be silently tearful, or holding their breath in all the right places. It pulls you in, almost allowing you to get lost in your own feelings whilst holding your hand to reassure and protect you. It’s as soothing as it is grand. It’s very clever.
‘A Rose Devine’ offers somewhat of a curveball, with a whole section of growled vocals. But on the whole this album is exactly as I would expect from Carmeria – a grand symphonic masterpiece that has not only the players natural musical talent, but also the supreme thoughtfulness that goes into their songwriting. Another great album from a band who really know how to draw in the listener and take them on a journey.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Ex Cathedra
02. Wings
03. Unto the Dawn
04. The Ashenheart
05. Embrace the Moon
06. Phantasma
07. A Rose Divine
08. Caelira
09. Shadows in the Sunlight
10. Echoes of the Dream
LINKS:
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