Via Doloris Announces Debut Album Guerre et Paix
From the Mind of Black Metal Visionary Gildas Le Pape (ex-Satyricon)
Featuring legendary black metal drummer Frost (Satyricon, 1349)
An album of quiet authority, where shadow and light coexist
Via Doloris is rooted in an inward journey rather than orthodoxy. Conceived in solitude and shaped by discipline, composer and multi-instrumentalist Gildas Le Pape traces a restrained and introspective path through black metal’s formal foundations, guided by melody, atmosphere and emotional clarity. He’s joined by Frost, the legendary drummer of Satyricon and 1349, who provides a sense of persistence, grounded and unyielding.
Today, Via Doloris is announcing its debut album Guerre et Paix. Positioned at the heart of the album, lead single “For the Glory” traces a slow ascent from an inner collapse to a fragile sense of self-awareness, capturing a core tension between endurance and surrender.
Watch the video for “For The Glory” on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
Guerre et Paix comes out March 20 on Season of Mist.
Pre-order & Pre-save
https://orcd.co/viadolorisguerreetpaix
Available Formats
CD Digipack
12” Vinyl Gatefold (Black)
12” Vinyl Gatefold (White)
“For The Glory” reflects the inward struggle that defines Guerre et Paix. The song is a confrontation with suffering that offers no clear resolution. Harmony remains intentionally unresolved, suggesting that meaning is found not in triumph, but in the act of enduring itself. This encapsulates Via Doloris’ approach to black metal: severe and disciplined in form yet fundamentally cathartic. Atmosphere, emotional release and inner clarity outweigh spectacle or excess.
Tracklist:
1. Communion (06:29)
2. Un Franc Soleil (06:58)
3. Omniprésents (07:26)
4. For The Glory (07:38) [WATCH]
5. Ultime Tourment (10:12)
6. Visdommens Vei I (07:11)
7. Visdommens Vei II (02:05)
Full runtime: 48:01
Country: Norway
Genre: Black Metal
FFO: Satyricon, Bathory, Kampfar
Via Doloris is the vision of founder Gildas Le Pape. Through sound, he crafts a world where emotion, discipline, and atmosphere converge — a place to give shape to what cannot be spoken. Rooted in solitude and shaped by the interplay of darkness and beauty, the project confronts the gravity of existence: the quiet burdens we carry, the hidden wounds time buries deep, the road to death. This “Way of Suffering” unfolds as a passage through pain in search of meaning, and the distant, flickering promise of rebirth.
Via Doloris’ musical identity draws from the towering legacy of Nordic metal while forging a distinct path. At its core lies a commitment to detailed guitar work, high-level musicianship, and the art of songcraft. Rather than follow genre trends, Via Doloris returns melody to its rightful place: not as decoration, but as the driving force of the music. These strong, expressive lines guide the compositions with raw clarity, carving out a language that speaks directly to the listener’s inner world.
Though the instrumentation nods to black metal’s formal foundations, the project resists confinement. It blends harmonic depth with subtle dissonance, creating tension and richness without sacrificing cohesion. Folk and pagan influences run like ancestral threads through the arrangements, lending them a sacral, mythic quality. The result is a sound built on contrasts: luminous and shadowed, forceful yet introspective, epic yet intimate. Layered into this sonic landscape are lyrics written in French, English, and Norwegian. Each language brings its own weight, rhythm, and tone, unlocking emotional registers that feel both ancient and immediate.
Based in Oslo, Gildas Le Pape first gained attention in 2007 when he joined the legendary Satyricon as a guitarist. Over the next six years, he toured the world and contributed to the band’s recorded legacy, before stepping away to explore a broad range of musical directions. In time, this path led him back to extreme music, this time with a renewed creative vision and sharpened intent. In 2023, he invited his long-time collaborator, Frost — arguably one of the most accomplished drummers in the genre — to join him in bringing the debut release to life.
Line-up:
Gildas le Pape — Lead Vocals, Choirs, Guitars, Bass
Frost — Session Drums
Production Credits:
Drums and vocals recorded at Red Room Studios, Norway.
Drums and vocals engineered by Mattis Elvestuen, guitars engineered by Gildas Le Pape & Mattis Elvestuen.
Produced by Gildas le Pape.
Mixed by Nicolai Codling & Gildas le Pape.
Mastered by Magnus Gulbrandsen at Jeløy Sound Mastering.
Guest Artist:
Raido (Ferriterium, Heimsgard, Karne) — Guest Vocals on Track 3.
Cover Art:
Artwork by Gildas le Pape.
Photography:
Cover artwork & press photography by Linnea Syversen.
Follow Via Doloris:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viadolorisofficial/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/via.doloris/
Available Formats:
CD Digipak
12” Vinyl Gatefold — Black
12” Coloured Vinyl Gatefold — White
