Ex Cathedra

Ex Cathedra is the third full-length album by CARMERIA, the independent symphonic metal band from Australia: a self-release with a release date of 30 October 2026. Today's line-up is singer and songwriter Jordan von Grae, guitarist Jerry Zahija, keyboard player Mishka Bobrov (with the band since 2018) and bassist Emma Louise Nagy (since 2021). Zahija started the group in Sydney in 2012; when that first line-up fell apart within a year, he and von Grae built it up again in 2014. Outside Japan they release their own records: the EP Awakening (2013), the albums Advenae (2021) and Tragédie D'amour (2024), and the acoustic EP Trinity: Volume I (2025). The band frame the album around the idea that suffering is "an unavoidable part of life" while despair is not, and the songs lean further into melodic rock than before. "Caelira" (28 August 2026) and "Unto the Dawn" (25 September 2026) led the way, each with an official video; on those two singles Jordan von Grae is credited with the writing, arranging, production and mix, and Miro Mastering with the master. The closing "Echoes of the Dream" features the Canadian singer Lindsay Schoolcraft. Ward Records' Japanese CD (GQCS-91804) has a release date of 18 December 2026 and adds Japanese liner notes and translated lyrics to the same ten tracks.