Love & Death

I really don't know where to begin with this one. I actually wanted to listen to this album because I had been through a similar romantic relationship that Vladimir had been through which supposedly inspired him to write this album. I had high expectations for this album but they were not met.

The album starts off with a promising, heavy, dark riff, not what I was expecting. Quickly as it begins, it goes into another boring riff. This basically describes the whole album. Some really good moments mixed with boring/mediocre moments.

Vladimir is known for being able to both sing and use black metal vocals. He only uses the latter on the album which the exception of the beginning of track 4. Vladimir is a decent vocalist but overall, his vocal ability is nothing to drool over.

The story on this album is presumably based on Vladimir and some girl he was dating in the past. The story basically follows Vladimir falling in love with some girl and the relationship slowly breaks down leaving Vladimir crushed. There is a bit more to it than that of course but that's the general jist of it.

I was slightly disappointed with this release; I was expecting a really awesome piece of music. While others might like it, it just didn't meet my expectations. All in all a decent release with some pretty good tracks like Memory must Remain and Following The Black Star Of Thoughts from a no doubt good musician.

Conclusion: The above is recommended for download or purchase.

If you have never heard Vladimir Cochet's work, Love & Death is THE place for you to start. This album combines elements that are prominent in Vladimir's experimental Mirrorthrone, and what appears on Unholy Matrimony's sophomore album, Misologie. Many keyboard and piano passages are interspersed throughout the album with some of UM's trademark 300-bpm-insanely-fast blast beats. Vladimir's vocals are at a peak here, much better than on later Vladimir projects, and everything is well balanced and well structured. Many of the songs are in English, which is a contrast to the all-French lyrics of Misologie. This album is definitely the point in which both of his main projects could exist as one perfectly, this is definitely his best work.

My only problem with this is, because I'm used to Misologie (I've had that longer), Love and Death's blasting parts are too far apart and too little compared to Misologie. That was the main draw of Misologie for me, but still, do not be discouraged, because overall, this album is a better written one. Get it!