Vulcan Black Friday

Intro: I love Deified (not as much as Monkey Special though) and was about to pull the trigger on black Friday. However, fragrancebuy listed Vulcan Black Friday edition and knowing it was a clone I decided to pick it up instead. What I get from Deified: People say it is a leathery fragrance, but to my nose that is not the case. I get a tiny bit of suede like leather if I sniff it up close but otherwise not really. What I get is green apple, dark rose, papyrus and a bit of dry cinnamon (not spicy). In the dry down these stay but get toned down a bit and the patchouli and moss comes out more. This is not rose forward, it is a mild dark and damp rose that is supporting the rest of the notes. Also, the sweetness is almost just right for me but a little less would be better. Not too sweet though. If Monkey Special is the singer and guitarist/bassist then Deified is the drummer and keyboardist. Also, a lot of I do not think anyone has talked about papyrus. I tried it in a fragrance called Timbuktu by L'Artisan Parfumeur and liked it. Kind of like old paper, not the modern kind but ones used to make scrolls. Dry, woody, earthy and little smokey and damp. It is definitely there a bit in this but more like an accord than a note since its not exactly like the one in Timbuktu. Comparison: The opening on both is pretty much the same. The difference here is that the green apple in Deified is more prominent and tangy while Vulcan Black has a bit more of that tiny bit of suede. As we get into the mid dry down, the green apple in Vulcan Black becomes a bit stronger and Deified stays the same. Later in the dry down they both become less loud and Deified loses a lot of the tangy nature to the green apple. This is the point at which they are the most similar with the patchouli and moss coming out. Deified still has a bit more of a general green apple but very minor and Vulcan Black has a tiny bit more leather. They are very similar at many points but not 1:1. The differences are so minor that I can't exactly describe them and I imagine that in the air they are the same after the opening. Lets say Vulcan Black is about 95% close to Deified. This is a much better clone than what Mysterium is to Monkey Special. I did not like Mysterium at all, it was quite different. I cannot comment much on the performance. Deified is not as strong or long lasting as Monkey Special. I get maybe 6-7hrs out of it but the scent fades a good amount near that point. However, I did not get a chance to go more than 4 sprays on this DNA yet so its hard to say for sure. This is based on one test spray on two occasions so given that I use 6+ sprays it should last. So far, longevity is similar, but do note that my Vulcan Black has not "macerated" yet and this fragrance just released. They both project pretty well, I can occasionally smell them two feet away from my hands as I am typing this. Outro: I am very happy with this purchase. I still want the original since I love the bottle, but I will wait till I go through Vulcan Black a bit.

Looks like my first ever perfume review will go to this great new fragrance from French Avenue. Might as well, since it is a special one. In short: it is a great dark, mysterious, spicy, leathery, woody and slightly fruity fragrance. Amazing performance. Well worth the price. Get it if you like this type. Not a safe blind buy, but not too "dangerous" either, considering it's not too expensive. Works best in cold weather. Unisex, but leans more male. Scent: 5/5 Longevity: 4.5/5 Sillage: 4/5 Value: 5/5 Detailed version: I own all the other fragrances from the Vulcan line, and the new Black Friday Edition is right up there with them, regarding both scent and performance. I can easily say that this line is among my favorites from F.A. I was lucky enough to have access to it quite soon after it was lunched, as the Dupes.se store was among the first in the world to sell it. At the time of writing this, the perfume is straight from the box, without any maturation/maceration time. I used it for 3 days in a row. It could change a bit in time, but they usually get even better. Performance wise I can say that I am really satisfied. I expected a good performer like the others from the Vulcan line, and I was not dissapointed. It lasted the entire work day, projecting strong for the first 4 hours, moderate for about another 4 hours, after that, becoming a skin scent for another couple of hours. It lasts a bit more on clothes than skin. Scent wise, it is a great dark, bold, mysterious, seductive and addictive scent. It opens up spicy (saffron and a bit of cinnamon) with a bit of apple and leather. After a short while the spicyness tones down a bit, but still lingers, and the leather, patchouli, moss and musk come in complementing the leather and apple. I don't get too much rose from this, but it is there somewhere in the background. Works best during winter and autumn, could work in early spring also. Unisex scent, but leans more male. I didn't test Xerjoff Deified yet, the fragrance Vulcan is supposed to be inspired from, so I can not compare them yet. But enjoying Vulcan so much made me curious about the OG and will test it soon enough. I will come back with edits in case there will be more to say.

I have been looking for this ever since I learned it was selling at Burlington. My nearest Burlington is 90min away so every time I was in the area I had to look for this. I could have bought it online but it was $20 more than at the store. Well yesterday I was in the store scanning the shelves, and sad that I couldn't find it. That was until I saw a a black box and the words French Avenue. The box was out of the plastic bubble(which is why I couldn't see it I was looking for the plastic box) and torn up a little. I picked it up and saw it was what I've been looking for, so I snatched it under my arm and went to checkout. It had been returned already at least once so I asked the boss to cut me a deal, and she did I paid $30 instead of $35. YES success! I'm sure that whoever bought this before was influenced by Tik Tok, and ended up hating it. I bet that happens a lot with Vulcan Black actually. I have to wonder if they ever even really sprayed it on skin or actually gave it a full wearing? Anyway this is an awesome rose, and leather fragrance. Being wrapped in it's scent bubble is great. It is hard to compare this to anything else. The leather is very dark, earthy, and to my nose oily. However the rose is a little bright, and sweet. It also smells very clean in an old school soap kind of way. I guess if I were to compare it to any other fragrances it would be Ombre Nomad, or Ombre Leather, but probably darker with a more middle eastern rose. Vulcan Black Friday definitely lived up to my expectations. I keep smelling it in the air and on my skin, and it smells so freaking wonderful.

It's a grey day and the buildings echo it. A man in an old weathered, scuffed leather trenchcoat sits under a faded red Coffee Shop sign nursing a large mug of thick, black coffee and he reaches for a Baltic cigarette. A couple of young men are having a heated argument across the way that keeps fluctuating between toe to toe and distant determination as friends try to separate the two. He finishes his coffee and lights another cigarette and something glints in his peripheral vision. One of the protagonists has pulled a knife. He gets to his feet wearily, gathers up his cigarettes and newspaper and leaves. He's seen too many deaths through the sights of a sniper rifle in a bitter conflict that lasted 3 years but lives in his head forever. This is brutalist architecture in a bottle : harsh, uncompromising and unnatural but you have to be impressed with it's beauty because of its sheer presence. Saffron gives the leather note and it sits on top of bone dry patchouli. The apple is as fleeting as the flash of the knife blade and the rose hides under the dust and ashes. A very well put together fragrance but I don't feel this is close to Deified to call it a clone. When to wear it? Anywhere you want to be taken very seriously.. I wouldn't wear it in the summer. Gets quite close to Cuoium but this one calms down eventually whereas Cuoium will keep kicking your ass hard for days. I just wish they had gone a bit heavier with the rose.

Nose Note #834 I was expecting something else, but what I got surpassed by expectations. I'm also surprised that this is being rated so high. It is NOT for everyone and I'd say it requires some olfactory experience to appreciate. This is a very special leather scent. I haven't gone through very many (as you can see by the index number), but I haven't smelled anything half similar. I imagine Montale could have created something like that - it's like Arabians Tonka, but with a heavy leather note and with subdued sweetness. It's hard to say whether this is sweet at all, at least for me. What I can say - this feels super dry. Very very dry leather, noticeable saffron (similar to saffron in PdM Haltane), the rose feels a little earthy and quite natural. Very deep, complex scent for leather lovers. You definately have to be a leather enthusiast to fully enjoy this. After mentioning Haltane I now can't throw this reference away. They are somewhat similar, but Haltane is very sweet. In that vein you could also mention Oud for Greatness with its super rubbery saffron. But what quality! I really like it personally, just like I really like Oud for Greatness and Arabians Tonka, for example. 8.5/10, leather is far from one of my favourite notes, but I really enjoy this one