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 (ex-Satyricon) traces a melodic, atmospheric and introspective path through black metal’s foundations on upcoming debut album Guerre et Paix. He’s joined by Frost, the legendary drummer of Satyricon and 1349, who provides a sense of persistence, grounded and unyielding.
Today, Via Doloris are releasing the second advanced single from Guerre et Paix. Standing among the album’s most luminous moments, “Un Franc Soleil” captures a fleeting sensation of release after prolonged inner unrest. An atmospheric depiction of an illusion glimpsed from afar, the song evokes the distant promise of a life freed from struggle, a vision radiant yet never fully attained.
Listen to “Un Franc Soleil” below.
Guerre et Paix comes out March 20 on Season of Mist.
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“Un Franc Soleil” captures Via Doloris at their most expansive and textural. The song unfolds in measured restraint; layered guitars trace gentle melodic figures across a patient rhythmic foundation. Frost’s nuanced drumming anchors the gradual ascent of each chord progression, allowing melody to emerge from distortion and clarity from dissonance. Written in French, the lyrics carry vulnerability and resolve in equal measure, portraying serenity not as certainty, but as something only ever approached.
Within the broader architecture of Guerre et Paix, “Un Franc Soleil” functions as a threshold: a contemplative pause before the album returns to denser and more conflicted terrain.
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.
Available Formats:
CD Digipak
12” Vinyl Gatefold — Black
12” Coloured Vinyl Gatefold — White
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https://orcd.co/viadolorisguerreetpaix
Follow Via Doloris:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viadolorisofficial/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/via.doloris/
Bandcamp: https://viadoloris.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2R3PxQ7zeA3BpPhpI1JlxF
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/via-doloris/1862267909