CARMERIA hailing from Sidney, Australia were formed in 2012. They are a symphonic Metal band. After releasing their debut EP in 2013, "Advenae" is their first full-length album. It was produced, mixed, and mastered by Lord Tim at the SLS Studios. The album is an independent release and it has a length of one hour and three minutes.

Although CARMERIA are active for almost 10 years, it took the band a long time to release their debut album. There could be a number of good reasons for this and frequent line-up changes during the early years might be partially to blame for it. The first EP "Awakening" was recorded with vocalist Sara Giorgutti, with the switch from female to male vocals having occurred a few years later. CARMERIA released a few singles though starting from 2016 with "Carpe Noctem". Also, all older single releases are part of the debut album, in so far "Advenae" represents the work of CARMERIA during the last 6 years.

"Advenae" starts with the title song, which is an orchestral and cinematic intro, creating the atmosphere for the things to come. It builds up slowly and transitions into "Morningstar", a classical symphonic Metal song with catchy guitar riffing and melodies at mid-tempo. The symphonic elements are mainly in the background apart from the brass during the middle part of the track. The male vocals are predominantly clean with very few growls added to it. The chorus part of "Morningstar" is really a nice sing-along and I am sure this will become a popular track among fans. A word to the title song. I found it an interesting choice to name the album after the intro.

As mentioned before, "Carpe Noctem" is one of the older single releases. It is played slower than mid-tempo at a measured head-banging pace. The riffing is tight and the chorus melodies have all the catchiness needed for a good symphonic Metal song. The overall melodic theme and the riffing are grim and there are considerably more growls added to the vocals. The symphonic elements are hardly notable. While "En Rapture" is one of the songs which cannot keep up with the rest, "Relinquished" and "To Lead The Blind" belong into a different category. "Relinquished" is the one of the ballads which nicely builds up, starting with a piano part carrying the track forward. The vocals fit very well to the track, particularly as the strings join in. As the song proceeds, the guitars start contributing, but "Relinquished" is dominated by the orchestral arrangements. "To Lead The Blind" stands a bit in contrast to the ballad with very powerful and heavy guitar riffing at the start, which comes with some Power Metal vibes. The verse sections contain a few twists in rhythm which keeps the track fresh and dynamic. Highlight of the song is a very comprehensive and contributing lead guitar solo. "To Lead The Blind" is the official video release and the YouTube link is given below.

"Celestia" is the next ballad and again, it is introduced by the piano and then the strings join in. I like "Celestia" more than "Relinquished", since the melodies are better composed and fit better to the orchestral arrangements. It is a powerful ballad including some bombastic elements near the end of the track. "Solaris" continues with the quiet and ballad-esque sound, but here the guitars are leading the track. The song has catchy chorus melodies and another contributing lead guitar solo. For me, "Solaris" is one of the album highlights. "Starfall" starts with an instrumental prelude, before it transitions into a mid-tempo track where Metal instruments and orchestra have equal shares. Notably is the dominant bass guitar contribution, which gives the track an extra dimension.

As the album continues, the album drifts more and more into ballad mode with the slow and powerful songs "Veil Of Sanctitude" and "Halo". The album closer "Eternity" reminds the listener that CARMERIA are able to write heavy and dark Metal songs. "Eternity" comes with sharp guitar riffing, grim melodies, and the orchestral arrangements amplify the darkness of the track as well as the vocals with a lot of added growls. The vocals are very versatile on this track. It is the longest and most epic track of the album with the lead guitars having another excellent contribution. The 12 minutes song is certainly one of the album highlights.

"Advenae" is a more than decent debut album. The symphonic Metal sound of CARMERIA is a good mix of guitars, bass, and drumming on one end, and orchestral arrangements on the other end. Across the album, neither of the two components are overly dominant, it is a well-balanced approach to symphonic Metal. In my opinion, there are too many ballad-esque songs on the album, although it works towards the strengths of vocalist Jordan Von Grae. CARMERIA show what they are capable of in terms of songwriting with the composition of "Eternity". The album is well produced. "Advenae" will have their shares among symphonic Metal fans and it will be interesting to see the progress of CARMERIA during the next years.