Northman

This one is really interesting, and using a combination of notes that you wouldn't think work - but actually do! The opening bursts forward with photorealistic lime and a heady dose of absinthe - so potent it feels as though the alcohol is evaporating off skin. Yet intertwined with this (and will flow through the wear) is a vintage "church thurible" incense accord, thick and smokey with the spice working perfectly against the zest from the lime. The heart brings some saffron, which seems to amplify and crisp the incense - along with some rose to thicken and provide a distraction for your nose to focus on. Yet unlike some of the other fragrances from the house, the vanilla sits deep in the base - only making an appearance from around hour 2, just as the woody notes and resins start to come to the fore. Interestingly, the final hours result in two distinct sillages - a louder, distinctly incensed trail.. And at skin level this gorgeous woody vanilla. This was a really unique wear, and one I will definitely bring out again during the winter (I am beginning to feel jealous of the cold Europe are suffering through!!)

This is by far the best incense perfume I’ve ever smelt. It’s such a complex and mesmerizing scent, it has a salty crystalline sensation mixed with the ambiance of a sunken cathedral, a certain brine to make it haunting and a luxurious incense that prolongs seemingly forever. I know not everyone likes or cares about longevity, but the idea of this perfume gently sticking to my skin sweetening the incense to the point I can wake up twice on two different days and still smell it really makes this perfume special. I often like to personify or theme perfumes like to me if this perfume was a song it would be Wierszalin III by Patriarkh, violently religious, like if the iconography of a church haunted your dreams. If it was a game it would be Blasphemous for sure. If you love incense fragrances this is a must buy.

This is so unique, I barely know how to describe it. The lime and absinthe give a cold, crisp edge to the incense, while the heart notes add depth and richness. Worn on a foggy autumn day, it feels like I'm smelling the fog itself. In the rain, the fragrance is re-activated, changed and amplified. I can smell the chill of the air in this, and something reminiscent of tall trees and campfires, though there's no woodsmoke as such. An incredible work of art that still feels perfectly wearable. Stunning.

An absolute stunner , low key incense and well blended to boot . My go to since I got it a few weeks ago .

Northman by Alexander. The Northman did not come to fuck around. Have you ever seen the video of the techno viking dancing through the streets? He's wearing Northman. I guarantee it. The initial hit from the fragrance is bewildering. Yes. It's an incense - smokey and austere. But wait. Is that? What? It's a huge hit of absinthe. Have you ever drank absinthe? That shit will ruin your weekend. This smells very absinthe-y! But what starts terrifying actually gently smooths out into a sweet smokey eternal base that is vaguely but only vaguely reminiscent of Interlude. I don't know that this is necessarily the most versatile perfume you'll ever try but it sure as hell kicks up a stink. Eau De Techno Viking. Bravo.

Wood, amber, darkness. Complex and mature. Something you'd imagine an extinguished forest fire to smell like in the snowy winter. Something you'd imagine a viking would have smelt whilst out hunting or foraging. Something you'd imagine. None of what I get here reminds me of anything realistic or tangible. Nothing I could relate to. Even a forest fire — how many readers here have actually smelt a died-out forest fire in the winter? None, I wager. We can think of one; we can conjecture what it would smell like and convince ourselves, but we do not know. Well, perhaps it would be accurate to say this smells like the romanticised idea of such fire or foraging viking, but in all likelihood neither would smell anything like this in reality — hence the intangibility of the imagery this perfume evokes for me. As the scents progress, they become more moderate and settled, still with a pleasant woody edge and a touch of powder, surprisingly. I think this is like a beautiful painting that is only at home in a museum. You may appreciate it, but you wouldn't know what to do with it in your own house. This is to say I think this perfume is really beautiful and evocative, but not wearable in any real-world scenario.