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Eremita is the fourth studio solo album by former Emperor frontman Ihsahn. The album features guest appearances by several notable musicians, including Devin Townsend and Jeff Loomis of Nevermore.

The album is Ihsahn's first solo outing since the conclusion of the conceptual trilogy encompassing his first three albums, The Adversary, angL, and After. Ihsahn said that Eremita was the product of an intentional contrast with After. He described After as "a very desolate, bleak landscape. There were no signs of life in any of the lyrics," while, for Eremita, the atmosphere is "much more introverted, much more paranoid and kind of schizophrenic. I tend to bring up many of the same themes, but lyrically it comes from a different perspective."

The album's sense of introversion, paranoia, and schizophrenia is represented in the album cover, with which Ihsahn's ongoing interest in Nietzsche turned to Nietzsche's mad final years. Nietzsche is represented in the cover, which features an upside-down image of his face from later in his life, when he was on the verge of insanity. As Ihsahn explained, Eremita is "a reflective album that’s filtered through the eyes of a madman." He elaborated upon the connection, explaining that "There's an escapism to this album, there's a paranoia, a lot of issues that are dealt with, and these pictures of Nietzsche are from very close to when he tipped over into madness."

Eremita featured a guest appearance by Devin Townsend. Previously, Ihsahn had guested on Townsend's album, Deconstruction. Jens Bogren, who mixed Deconstruction, was also tapped to mix Eremita. Ihsahn noted that

"Devin and I have very different personalities. I am much more of a quiet type, and Devin is a very energetic individual. I've met him on a few different occasions, and he's just a really awesome guy. In spite of our contrasting personalities and our musical expressions being very different, I can relate to and understand the way he works. I think it's because we share the same level of passion to create music, regardless of where it takes us. He also has his own studio where he does whatever it takes. If he has to bring in musicians or do it all himself...it doesn't matter. Like myself, his key focus is getting the music done. I admire his very honest expression through his music...he has no problem daring to be who he really is, and I truly respect that."

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