Carmeria

A Gothic Symphonic Soundscape. Following a hiatus spanning 2 years, Carmeria have returned with a cacophonous new line-up and sound, fusing gothic and progressive elements to create a cathartic symphonic metal soundscape. "Swedish influenced euro metal, a la Amorphis forced through Evanescence with snappy breakdowns." - Luke Cowan, Reverb Street Press. Carmeria are an Australian metal act who formed towards the start of 2012. The band quickly garnered a reputation for successfully fusing progressive and symphonic elements to create a musically intrinsic experience both in their studio recordings and live shows. The 5-piece initially labelled their sound as ‘progressive rock,’ gaining support slots for national metal acts such as Lord, Hemina, and Caligula’s Horse to name a few. 2013 provided the newly established band with the groundswell to release their debut EP ‘Awakening.’ This 5 track musical expression saw the group move towards a more symphonic metal sound with elements of prog and classical. The EP caught the attention of music fans and critiques alike, with Mark Furtner of LORD praising the band’s ‘great mix of simplicity, technicality, shred and feel.’ Towards the end of 2013 Carmeria gained the support slot for American rock powerhouse Flyleaf on the Sydney leg of their Australian tour. At the start of 2014, it was decided that the band would commence an indefinite hiatus due to the departure of 3 members on the grounds of creative differences. Carmeria’s creative process was put on hold indefinitely due to the focus of the remaining members leaning towards finding the right people for the band’s new vision and direction. Midway through 2014, interest was shown in the filling of vocal duties by Jordan Von Grae (Kvlts Of Vice). After lengthy discussions over creative direction and a vocal audition, Jordan was inducted as the bands new vocalist. This addition allowed for the band’s style to move towards a heavier sound, with the introduction of occasional harsh vocals and slightly more aggressive vocal phrasing. The 3-piece worked on writing and recording a single with Von Lehmenn of Black Vault Sound at the end of 2015 for release upon the finding the right members to fill in the roles of bass and drums. This search proved difficult due to a shortage of available musicians who fit the groups new found directional criteria. Over the following year the band put the search on the back-burner due to the prioritising of other commitments yet maintained contact, often sharing information on potential new members and ideas for new material. Halfway through 2016 saw new opportunities in the form of bassist Tory Giamba (Snow Leopard), and drummer Johny Rock (Bury The Veil). This new potential rhythm section clicked almost immediately with an impressive technical proficiency and professional attitude, providing Carmeria with the choice of members they’d been waiting for. This new line-up was decided upon following a live audition and was announced officially via the bands Facebook page in September of 2016. The band released two video clips for their long-awaited singles ‘Carpe Noctem’ and 'Solaris' featuring the new line-up in December 2016 and April 2017 respectively, and are currently working on writing their debut album, due for release in 2018. The band’s audio-styling has now evolved into a predominantly symphonic metal sound, drawing elements from progressive and gothic subgenres. Carmeria will explode on to the live seen in 2017, and will continue to expand on the new-found momentum they’ve gained following the release of their new singles. CARMERIA Official Facebook Page. www.carmeria.com New video: "Solaris" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxFEvPdO6Sk