Black Calamus

I think when TonyT says 'this kind of scent' that speaks volumes. Is Laudano nero a fair comparison because it's in the same genre? In my opinion...Fuck no! LN is a great perfume that has been available for a really decent price on discount websites for a long time now. However, this Carner is superior in every way and doesn't have as much of the play doe, kind of resinous drydown of LN.(Although I get that aspect of the comparison) This is sharp, sweet impactful labdanum at it's absolute finest, shining out of the opening like a beacon of loveliness. This has more of a suede/leathery effect and oriental spice of incense and papyrus. I get loads of vanilla, whether it's from vanilla or benzoin it gives a light creaminess but never tips over into being too smooth, maintaining the rough edges. There's a very fleeting moment just after the opening notes, and just before where you'd say it's officially 'settled' that it has a real, animalic smelling out note, Only for a very brief period and it's gone, dissipating into a spicy, wood smell, kinda like a microcosm of how artisan oud goes on a dries down but sped up into the space of a matter of seconds as opposed to hours or even days! I've discussed this fragrance with others who said it was dark and in another review I wrote I described it as the interplay of darkness and light....or some pretentious shit like that? This isn't anything particularly new to me, reminiscent of Alessandro Gualtieri's work that kind of heft...for want of a better term? Merely a re calibration, a tweaking of elements I love, but what a tweak! I adore this, lasts really well, clung to clothes madly, projecting and just enough innovation to capture my attention and make me crave it. Black Afgano and Laudano Nero and even Carner's own El Born didn't get me as excited. Black Calamus is a bit of magic!

#1497 in my "Tour de Fragrance" Carner Barcelona is such a great fragrance house in such a great city. The Salvador Dali and Picasso Museums, the Cathedral of Saint Ulele, fabulous festivals, jovial cab drivers assuring me that my Spanish will do, but the Catalonian pronunciation is the correct way to say it. Everybody so relentlessly nice to visitors. I was last there before the founding of Carner, and it's just as well. I'd have emptied my checking account having fragrances shipped stateside. We do have a fragrance outlet in town that carries their fragrances line, but I can find it for less online. This one is definitely worth having. Something about papyrus that adds something hard for me to describe except as a "dryness" that comes off like a freshly laundered, white dress shirt that has a lingering hint of bleach and starch. I love it. Very masculine. Very C-Suite vibe. This is a great scent. Just ordered a bottle for $78. Fair price. Great quality. Perfect for a formal office or date wear. Casual use would be a waste. Car pool, elevator, small office safe and inoffensive, but yummy!

Really interesting fragrance. The opening delivers a mild spice, combined with woods and sweetness that may come off as harsh or thick to the unprepared. Overall, everything is blended wonderfully, and you don't get too much or too little of any single feature this fragrance has to offer. Smoke in perfect quantity. Sweetness in perfect quantity. The same can be said for the darker woodsy elements. Highly rate Black Calamus. Great work from Carner, this is one to get your nose on if you like fragrances that tell a story. As much as it is a spicy amber scent, it doesn't shy away from boasting its dry and woody elements, and it expresses each of its facets with success.

I enjoy it .. It is one of those very dark fragrances without coming off TOO DARK.. Some really push it too far and it just doesn't smell appealing.. This one stays appealing. The best way I can describe it say that its like a niche version of dark rebel.. For the price though I wouldn't go for it. I probably would stick with gucci oud intense, kalemat black or dark rebel by JV.. but this is nice, I enjoy it. scent 4.5/5 Performance 4.5-5/5

The only complaint I have about Black Calamus is the performance - it disappears from my skin after 3 hours or so. Otherwise, I love it - it's a dark, intoxicating scent with plenty of character. EDIT: After I read someone's review on here that it smells like play dough, I can't get that association out of my head, because frankly... it kinda does! ;) Not a safe blind buy by any means.