(Last August Personal Records released the second album from the multi-national doom band Anchorite, whose lineup is full of veteran names. Their music features singing (remarkable singing), but of course that won’t stop us from publishing Comrade Aleks’ interview of Anchorite’s vocalist, Leo Stivala.)
After a five-year hiatus, the international project Anchorite is ready to remind us of themselves with their second full-length album, Realm of Ruin. Anchorite’s strengths extend beyond the fact that Forsaken frontman Leo Stivala is on vocals; the entire lineup is remarkable. Leading the charge is bassist Peter Svensson, whom we recently wrote about in light of the new album from his main doom band, Void Moon, and who is known for countless other projects he’s involved in! Behind the drums is Void Moon’s drummer (and vocalist), Marcus Rosenqvist, and on guitar is Martin Andersen from the Danish heavy metal band Meridian.
The professionalism of Anchorite’s members guarantees the quality of Realm of Ruin, but if you’re familiar with Svensson’s discography, it’s time to ask: Is it physically possible for a person to produce so much metal without wearing himself out? Especially since three more albums featuring his most active contributions were released in 2025. True, two of the three (Furnace and War Magic) are death metal, and one (Bardo Thodol) is heavy metal, but jokes aside, Anchorite delight the ear with solid, never-failing doom metal with a leaning toward traditional, combative heavy metal.
It would seem that giving Leo Stival space for epic, anthemic parts, stretching the notes, and pressing the “tritone” is a good idea! Contrary to natural expectations, the four doom musketeers don’t overindulge in the indulgences afforded by the genre. Heavy riffs sit alongside airy harmonies, thunderous melodies give way to deep, pensive passages, and the rhythms shift according to the songs’ themes. This diversity allows Leo to showcase himself as a performer not only of heroic epics, but also of ballads and the more established, energetic heavy metal genre. No matter how many new doom metal albums you hear in 2025, Anchorite is impossible to ignore.
As an “exception to the rules”, the interview with Leo Stivala was done, and here it is.
Hi there! How are you? Who’s online today?
Hello Aleks… I am Leo Stivala, vocalist from Anchorite answering this interview. I am fine, thanks. I just came back from work, took a warm shower, and started this interview.
Good to hear from you, Leo! Let us start from the very beginning. What’s the story behind the Anchorite founding? Was it Peter who launched the process? Actually, I wonder how you all find time for one more band having a few in your list already.
After I sang as a guest on a Void Moon E.P called Ars Moriendi, Peter came to Malta with Void Moon to play at the Malta Doom Metal Festival, and he asked me whether I would be up to it to form a band with him and maybe release an album together. I told him to send me his ideas and after some listens I accepted to be part of his project. Then we started to construct the songs together and Marcus joined in on drums.
Initially the idea was to get guitarists as guests for different songs but Peter approached Martin Jespen Andersen from Denmark, who kindly played rythym guitar on all the songs and solos on the majority of them. It was decided that Martin should be part of the band, and Anchorite became a full-fledged band and we released our debut album Further from Eternity with GMR.
Well, I only have one band apart from Anchorite, which is Forsaken. Due to the fact that in Anchorite we live in different countries, we compose everything through on-line communication. We send files to each other and discuss ideas. So, things flow pretty well between us without any rush. So yes, we find time for each other but respecting each other’s personal life’s priorities.
Yes, and that’s what I wanted to ask. Forsaken is the one of oldest doom metal bands, you sang there since 1990, and it’s sad that there’s no news from its side. What’s its official status? Are there any prospects to get your new album someday?
Forsaken are still active, maybe not as much as before, but we never split and are still in touch frequently. We have a couple of local gigs planned and confirmed. As regards to new material we had already been working on some songs, we have two completed songs and three more with lyrics ready… We need to start rehearsing frequently again… Hopefully we will remedy that next year.
You have a proper background in doom metal, so what motivated you to start another project from scratch? Wasn’t it difficult to make it all again back then in 2018?
I always like to involve myself with other musicians other than Forsaken when I have time. I feel that this makes me a better singer to sing on different genres and musical ideas.
Knowing Peter and Marcus from Void Moon, it was a no-brainer for me to get involved with them. I knew their level of musicianship and commitment to a project.
So, no it was not difficult at all… and it was extremely easy and fun working with the guys on something new.
What kind of references did you have on your mind? How much does Anchorite differ from your other bands?
From the start the idea was to be an Epic Doom band with a difference. We wanted to add a strong traditional heavy metal feel to our music.
I think our main influences come from bands like Black Sabbath, Solitude Aeturnus, Manilla Road, Candlemass, and King Diamond/Mercyful Fate. But I still think that we have our own identity too, especially in the clean parts of our songs. Now with Martin composing too, we also have bluesy things to the songs which make things even more interesting and original.
Personal Records released your second album Realm of Ruin four months ago as we have this discussion! Time flies indeed! Did you have time to enjoy the fact of the release? Or did you just switch to some other projects?
I am really enjoying this new album, and we are so happy with how it has been received worldwide. We have been given favourable reviews from everywhere. Now we are all looking forward and trying our best to get to play some of these songs and songs from our debut on stage in the near future.
Yes we all go on to other things obviously, but we do keep in touch and plan forward. I want to thank Jacobo from Personal Records for believing in us from the start.
Are you going to take part in events like Malta Doom Festival or do you aim to make a tour?
Our plan is to possibly play a couple of gigs and festivals if we are invited. Due to family and other musical commitments, we definitely cannot tour. But yes, our primary wish now is to take our songs on stage. In fact, we already have some solid opportunities for next year. So let’s keep our fingers crossed.
I didn’t check, but I believe that you and Forsaken played not only in Malta Doom Festival, but probably you took part in Doom Shall Rise, maybe Dutch Doom Days as well. How would you summarize this experience of playing in doom festivals? I think that there is almost the same audience everywhere. How many people do visit these events usually?
Yes we played the festivals you mentioned and many more. We always had a great time and were treated very well by everyone. As regards to the audience, yes you will meet the same faces over and over but you will also manage to make new friends, whose friendships are still present in my life ’til the present day. The most impressive thing about these festivals, apart from the awesome bands and excellent organization, is the sense of community that is present every time. It’s like knowing everyone for ages…. It’s incredible really…
Which aspects of Realm of Ruin make you proud of your work? What are its strong sides?
The debut album was entirely written by Peter. But once Martin became a full member of Anchorite, we started composing Realm of Ruin as a band. Everyone recording ideas and sending them to each other. I believe that’s the primary strength of this album.
Another strength is the production, entrusted again to Magnus at Endarker studios in Sweden. This time we pushed the bass a bit more to the front, making the album sound heavier.
And what about lyrics? What kinds of topics do you cover in your new songs?
On the first album Peter wrote all the lyrics, but on Realm of Ruin, I wrote the lyrics to “The Unforgiven Ghost”. Hopefully I can be inspired to write more in the future. Peter’s lyrics are very philosophical and cover various themes like religion, the current world situation, epic stuff, and personal thoughts about life in general. In my case I write more in an introspective way. Personal experiences and things that happen to me in my everyday life which leave an impression on me. “The Unforgiven Ghost” was inspired by a series I watched called A Vatican Girl … Being a Catholic this series surely left a lot of doubtful thoughts in my sense of belief…
It’s true to say that releasing music in physical formats today is more of a curse than a bliss. We can speak about creativity, but real life takes its toll. So how do you find a balance between such a lifelong hobby and daily stuff?
I believe in life you have to make priorities and it’s a mistake to take on more stuff than you can carry. Personally, I think that with only Forsaken and Anchorite, it’s enough for me to keep my passion for Metal and singing going on without disregarding more important aspects in life, like family and relationships which should come first before everything.
In Anchorite all of us have families to take care of and we don’t put pressure on ourselves to keep the band going.
How do you see the creative, artistic motives behind this project, as there are so many new albums around? Some of them are really good by the way, and it seems like people are used to qualitative music like “Oh, okay, another good album”! Though I wonder if bands really struggle just to draw people’s attention, it’s about art in the end! Isn’t it?
Yes, music is art and always a matter of opinion in the end of the day. As far as Anchorite is concerned, we try to pull in our influences and inspirations in the songs we compose and strive to bring variety on the plate. I think we managed to build a particular identity for the band.
We never felt the need to struggle to draw attention, we just compose songs that feel good to us primarily, and then its all to the public’s opinion whether they like it or not.
Which doom metal albums released in 2025 impressed you?
On top I will put Pagan Altar’s Never Quite Dead…This band always amazes me with their original way of playing. I bought the “Die Hard” edition of this album. They are truly one of a kind.
Pentagram – Lightning in a Bottle… Simply one of the leading purveyors of the global Doom Scene.
Blizaro – Light and Desolation… I still don’t have a physical copy of this one but my dear friend John Gallo gave me a preliminary listen and this one is truly a killer release.
Pilgrimage – From Amber to Sun… the second album from this Malta-based Doom/Death band… again I have to get my CD but I’ve listened to it and it’s really heavy.
Another album which rocked my socks this year is from my Greek brothers Reflection, The Battles I Have Won… it’s not a Doom album, they play Epic Heavy Metal of the highest order, but I had to mention because it is truly phenomenal.
It’s good you reminded me of Blizaro, I almost skipped the album! Let me remind you of Professor Emeritus and Fer de Lance — their new albums are beyond expectations! But the next question is what are your all-time favorite albums?
The Black Sabbath discography is always the top for me… The Alpha and Omega of everything.
Candlemass and Merciful Fate/King Diamond are also one of my tops. Every now and then I like to check out new bands but generally the all-time Doom and Heavy Metal classics are my favourites. The list is endless but you can imagine what I am talking about.
What are your future plans regarding Anchorite?
Our plan is to play live next year. Obviously we are not talking about touring here, but if we manage to get a couple of good gigs, we would be up to them, particularly here in Malta… we are really trying our best to make it happen.
It would be really awesome for me to meet Peter and Marcus again after so many years, and finally meet Martin face-to-face for the first time. As regards new material, we haven’t talked about that yet…
Thanks for the interview, Leo! It was nice to talk, and I hope this interview will help spread the word of Anchorite. So any final words to our readers?
Thanks to you Aleks and all in No Clean Singing for this interview and for the exposure you give to Anchorite. I urge all your readers to get hold of our albums and support the scene. Doomed Blessings to all!!!
https://www.facebook.com/anchoritedoom/
https://personal-records.bandcamp.com/album/realm-of-ruin