Stoking The Fires With JORDAN VON GRAE From CARMERIA

Combining the haunting sounds of dark symphonic metal with the
lovelorn energy of gothic rock, Blue Mountains music machine
Carmeria have upped the anti significantly with their recently
released sophomore album Tragédie D'amour.
While their 2021 debut album Advenae announced the arrival of
Carmeria it was also somewhat of a tease, showcasing a sonic
temperament and direction that was fresh and vibrant without
tipping its hand too far in any given direction. As such, the
follow-up album was especially important for the band. They could
either deliver more of the same - which would have been an
acceptable outcome - or they could continue to traverse a more
diverse path on the open highway of musical ability.
They chose the latter, with the sound on Tragedie D'Amour taking on
a more energetic gothic rock approach than its predecessor.
To celebrate the recent release, Carmeria are preparing to hit the
road for a run of dates with melodic death metal masters Orpheus
Omega dubbed the Embers Of Tragedy Australian Tour. HEAVY spent
some time with frontman Jordan Von Grae to get more information,
starting with last-minute preparations before hitting the
road.
"Really it's just rehearsals and tweaking bits and pieces of the
performance," he offered. "So coming up with specific set lists for
each show, things like that. Obviously, with these kinds of shows
and tours, you have different set lengths for the different shows.
One of the sets is 40 minutes and I think another is 50 to an hour,
so you're kind of picking and choosing which songs you feel would
fit best and of course having to axe some that you might not wanna
axe (laughs), But the last couple of weeks before a tour is really
about tightening everything up. There's been a bit of work. We've
pretty much only had one rehearsal (smiles) so far since being
back, and we've got two more planned for the next week. Off the
back of that it will be just about tweaking little production
things and coming up with some additional ideas for additional
performance pazazz."
In the full interview, Jordan discussed the release of each band's
new albums. He expressed relief and satisfaction with the positive
reception of Tragédie D'amour, which took on a more energetic
Gothic rock approach. Jordan explained that the change in sound was
a deliberate choice to explore different themes, such as love and
loss, and to delve into influences like bands like HIM and Lord of
the Lost.
Jordan discussed the lessons learned from making the band's debut
album, which they carried over into album number two. He mentioned
that the process became more streamlined, allowing them to produce
the second album in half the time. Jordan also talked about his
role as producer for this album, stating that it allowed for a more
natural sound to the songs but also required him to learn
temperance to avoid overdoing it. He expressed excitement about the
upcoming tour with Orpheus Omega, stating that they both appreciate
each other's work and are looking forward to playing
together.
We also surprised him with our new Photo Bomb segment, plus plenty
more.



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