The Anchoret for Progressive Metal

The Anchoret is the brainchild of Canadian bass player Eduard Levitsky, who had always had the idea to bridge prog rock and his love of metal, and The Anchoret was born during the 2020 lockdown when he felt isolated from the world and needed an outlet. Eduard started his musical career playing trumpet in a high school band and eventually, like almost every other teenager, also began playing guitar. He soon formed a band with his best friend who played bass and they started playing local gigs. Some years later his friend passed away under tragic circumstances, and when Ed started playing again he picked up the mantle of the bass.

Eduard's inspirations that first got him interested in writing music were Nightwish and Kamelot, and it was Opeth and Dan Swano who led him into the more extreme forms of music. His first band was called 'Hollow', which had started out as a power metal band, but eventually evolved more towards blackened death metal with lots of orchestrations.

Eduard discussed his ideas for recording an album with vocalist Sylvain Auclair of the progressive metal band Heaven’s Cry and progressive rock band Karcius (both on PA), and sent him samples of the music. Sylvain was instantly hooked. Eduard then wrote and recorded the full demo using virtual instruments as placeholders for instruments he could not play, and shared it with the other musicians that were to be featured on the album, who subsequently replaced the virtual instruments with their own contributions. Once the demo was finished and produced, Sylvain Auclair gave stories to the songs and gradually tied everything together.

All the musicians on the debut album are from different countries, and Eduard describes The Anchoret as a prog metal band that occasionally bridges over into prog rock territory.

'It All Began With Loneliness' is all about new beginnings, connections, and honesty. Every track on the album deals with isolation in one form or another but, more importantly, every song has a message of hope, self-growth and self-love. The stories are shaped around tormented characters seeking to find alternatives and solutions to solve their current miserable state, and better their surroundings.

The album was written during a period where Eduard felt isolated from the World in a new city, during a pandemic, and completely alone with his own thoughts. There was initially no band, so he couldn’t share the struggle or complain - and the songs became a way for him to reach out, connect and share during that difficult time. The ultimate message of the finished album, however, is one of reinforcement, strength and hope.

- Eduard Levitsky / bass

- Sylvain Auclair / vocals

- Leo Estalles / guitars

- James Christopher Knoerl / drums

- Andy Tillison / keyboards, synthesizers

- Juan Ignacio Varela Espinoza / alto saxophone

- Carina Bruwer / flute

- Paulo Oliveira / flute (2)

- Artem Koryapin / clarinet

- Nimiwari / gospel vocals (2), additional vocals (7)

- Reinaldo Ocando / percussions (5)

- Thomson Knoles / additional keys (7)

- David Gagné / additional keys (5), additional guitar (4)

- Daniel Eliseev / additional guitar (8)

- Ὀρφεύσ / mellotron (9)

Music Composed and Produced By Eduard Levitsky,

Lyrics by Sylvain Auclair.

Album Mixed by David Lizotte,

Vocals Produced and Mixed by Sylvain Auclair.

Mastered By Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios.

Artwork by Jozeba Elorza (Miraruido).

Art Direction, Layout and Graphic Design by Eduard Levitsky.

https://tagyourmusic.org/artists/20590.