Photo by: Linnea Syversen
Official press release:
Season of Mist is proud to announce the signing of Via Doloris, the singular project of composer and multi-instrumentalist Gildas Le Pape. Conceived in solitude and shaped by discipline, Via Doloris traces a restrained and introspective path through black metal’s formal foundations, guided by melody, atmosphere and emotional clarity.
Via Doloris is rooted in an inward journey rather than orthodoxy. Across carefully structured compositions, Le Pape explores the architecture of the human psyche, moving through despair, inner rupture and fleeting moments of illumination. Melody stands at the center of the music, not as ornament but as its organizing force, leading expansive guitar lines through measured rhythms and subtle harmonic tension. Folk and pagan echoes surface quietly, lending the material a timeless, almost ritual quality without overt gestures or excess. Le Pape says:
“I’m hugely excited by the signing with Season of Mist. Partnering with a label known for its professionalism and deep industry experience is a huge step forward for Via Doloris. With their support, VD will reach a much wider audience and gain the visibility I feel the project deserves. This is a major milestone in the project’s history, and I can’t wait to share what I’ve been crafting during the last years. Thanks to the team and everyone who has supported VD so far – this is just the beginning!”
The project’s first full-length work extends this vision into a unified and deliberately paced statement. Moving between languages and emotional registers, it traces a quiet passage through shadow and emergence, shaped by introspection rather than narrative clarity. Crafted in Norway under Le Pape’s sole direction, the material favors tension, texture and inner motion, allowing meaning to surface gradually, without resolution or insistence.