Via Doloris confront the cost of persistence on 'For The Glory' • GRIMM Gent

VIA DOLORIS introduce “For The Glory”, a central composition from the forthcoming debut album ‘Guerre et Paix’. Positioned at the heart of the record, the song traces a slow ascent from inner collapse toward a fragile sense of self-awareness, capturing the project’s core tension between endurance and surrender.

Built on ascending motifs and carefully controlled crescendos, “For The Glory” unfolds as a measured emergence from darkness. Gildas Le Pape shapes long, deliberate guitar lines that rise through restraint and distortion, allowing melody to guide the composition without excess. The drumming, performed by Frost (1349, Satyricon), provides a physical sense of persistence, grounded and unyielding, reinforcing the track’s focus on survival rather than conquest.

“For The Glory” reflects the inward struggle that defines “Guerre et Paix”: 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. As a standalone piece, the track encapsulates Via Doloris’ approach to black metal, severe and disciplined in form yet fundamentally cathartic, where atmosphere, emotional release, and inner clarity outweigh spectacle or excess.

Guerre et Paix is out March 20th via Season of Mist.

Pre-order & pre-save:
https://orcd.co/viadolorisguerreetpaix

Tracklist:
1. Communion (06:29)
2. Un Franc Soleil (06:58)
3. Omniprésents (07:26)
4. For The Glory (07:38)
5. Ultime Tourment (10:12)
6. Visdommens Vei I (07:11)
7. Visdommens Vei II (02:05)
Full runtime: 48:01

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.