Cadavre Exquis

It all started with a sample, generously provided by a fellow perfumista, which led to many months searching up and down for a bottle. Finally, this quest came to fruition, courtesy of two generous souls. At the time, I was well aware of this collaborative project between Bruno Fazzolari and Antonio Gardoni, as well as familiar with Bruno’s own interpretation in Corpse Reviver. The latter remains to date my favorite perfume from Bruno, only second to Au Delà Narcisse, although surpassing it in terms of peculiarity. Stumbling upon its predecessor, Cadavre Exquis, I came to discover that I much prefer and enjoy it. However, they are not that similar, and I could see myself justifying owning both, but I will get into that comparison shortly. Cadavre Exquis is not only idiosyncratic as a composition, but for me, a delightful fragrance that cleverly combines medicinal, spicy, animalic/musky, and gourmand characteristics in a way I have not encountered before. Not only did this project assemble two highly atypical noses, but the fact that it involved back-and-forth cooperation at 6000 miles distance is another amazing feat. A fellow enthusiast described it to me as more of an “O’Driu meets Slumberhouse,” and I see where he is coming from, but there is unmistakable Antonio and Bruno material in it. The name says it all - a monstrosity of a gourmand, a far cry from the usual ones that recently overtook the scene, the offspring of two experimental noses who never shied away from bold compositions. Do not be fooled by the gourmand moniker. It is one in the way it hints at various edible foods, herbs, spices, and even beverages, but the sweetness is kept in check; therefore, it will not drive up your blood glucose to a concerning level. I suspect that the more appetizing parts of the composition had Bruno’s touch, while the more aromatic, spicy, medicinal, and animalic ones, Antonio’s. One thing that fascinates me is how much emphasis was put on vanilla, although I don’t pick it up in particular. I would never call this a vanilla fragrance, not in a million years. What I get and recognize are facets of it, and the way it helps to texture the perfume, but not the actual flavor. According to Bruno, they have used a tincture, a CO2, and an absolute. The texture is my favorite part of this fragrance. It feels very much like butter, and to some extent, beeswax absolute. I messaged Bruno and asked if he used or intended for an actual butter accord. That’s how vivid it is. The way he explained it to me is that when you combine “edible” materials with animalics, you tend to get similar nuances. And it makes perfect sense. Both butter and beeswax are of animal origin, and both smell quite animalic. Therefore, this buttery, milky, waxy, and creamy texture dominates on my skin throughout, and on top of it, everything else seems to play its own tune. I can’t quite speak of a consistent scent development, as I pull various facets under different conditions. And the structure is highly complex. I like to picture this perfume like a buffet. Nothing is missing. The hosts, your friendly Civet Cat family neighbours. They have their natural odor, but that doesn’t stop you from indulging in the feast they prepared. For starters, it is wise to have some entries to make sure the digestive system is primed for the binge to come. Some camphor leaves and star anise will help, but let us not forget the sweet, warm Amaretto with its dried-fruit and almond-like aroma, often prescribed as a digestif. With the warm-up done, we proceed to the chocolate. Heavy on cocoa butter and high in milk, as the civets don’t fancy the dark varieties. A banana milkshake is sure to help it go down easier, and while at it, don’t forget the dried fruits and the almonds. Does anyone want more butter? These cats sure love butter. In the midst of it, you ask someone to open the window, letting some fresh air in to ventilate the civet-stenched room. The breeze carries in the scent of the cypress trees growing nearby. Braced by it, you resume the festivities with revitalized appetite. As you can see, yes, there are some medicinal qualities (camphor), but they don’t last long and are soon replaced by a creamy Amaretto accord and strong star anise. The chocolate skews toward high-fat milk varieties rather than the darker ones, and the ylang-ylang suggests a banana-like impression. There is a candied orange accord in the opening, later replaced by moist dried fruits, while the base reveals faint cypress and benzoin touches. The civet note is quite prevalent and intensifies as the perfume dries down. What I appreciate here is the minimal, naturally derived sweetness and silky-smooth (buttery and creamy) texture. That, paired with everything else, makes it such an enjoyable ride. Not only to my palate, but to my imagination as well. Hands down the best gourmand perfume I have ever tried, and no surprise, my favorite. Not only does it quench your appetite, but it also challenges your understanding of various accords and materials. The way they have been put to such great use and, more importantly, synchronized in total unison, even at 6000 miles apart, between two very different artistic styles. Last but not least, I know many asked me and wonder: “How does Cadavre compare (scent-wise) to Bruno’s version that came out in 2019, Corpse Reviver?” Well, I ran through three samples of it, compared them many times, and wore them separately. I never felt that Corpse was meant as a replacement for Cadavre, but rather a different approach. One could easily own and enjoy both as they behave differently. Here is a quick breakdown highlighting the main distinct elements between the two, in my experience. - Cadavre is a gourmand and makes strong use of savory elements. Everything about it(texture included) hints at a buffet. On the other hand, Corpse Reviver is a smoky, woody perfume, with a prominent malty-whiskey flavor, and I can’t place it as a gourmand, despite a brief dark chocolate accord in the opening. - With Cadavre, the vanilla feels like the engine of the composition, whereas in Corpse, the oakwood is the main player. If you have ever smelled oakwood absolute, you’ll realize how much of a pivotal role it plays in the fragrance. Prevalent facets one can pick up are toffee, malt, whiskey, woody, and smoky. - Texture-wise, Cadavre feels buttery, milky, and creamy. There is no smokiness, and the effect is very cozy and smooth. With Corpse, the texture is harder, making me think of wood logs in a fireplace, a glass of whiskey in the hand, and a small tray with some dark chocolate (as opposed to milk chocolate). Overall, it feels sharper and rougher. - While both showcase boozy accords, in Cadavre I perceive more of an Amaretto type of facet, very creamy, almondy, fruity, and sweet. With Corpse Reviver, it is all about the whiskey. - There is a noticeable civet note in Cadavre that I don’t pick up with Corpse. My tolerance for animalics is very high, so it might be there for others. At the end of the day, they are different spins on the same DNA, but one makes me think of food while the other of wood and smoke. While I can’t compare Cadavre Exquis to anything, I could make an association between Corpse Reviver and a few dark, treacly, woody, and spicy offerings from Lutens, such as Le Participe Passé or L'Innommable. I love the former, and I’m not yet decided on the latter. Not because I don’t enjoy it, on the contrary, but I’m not sure I need that DNA in my overabundant collection as of now. Time will tell. IG:@memory.of.scents

I have to preface this review with the information that I won a bottle of this in the Cadavre Me contest on Instagram. That being said, I took a very long time to test this and make sure that I review it without any bias for or against it's creators. The fragrance itself is exceptionally interesting and succeeds as a playful perversion of the gourmand genre. I've tried to review this a few times but have found myself struggling for some reason. Ultimately, I would describe it as a large chunk of dark dark dark chocolate, with some strange dried fruits hidden within, all entombed in a mysterious, ethereal green glow, as if the dessert had been cursed by some strange witch doctor and now emanated a subtly ominous, yet inviting (almost paranormal..) air. The aforementioned aura is something that, when dissected, reveals itself to be a very strong herbal camphor note, as well as a rather bold civet note, star anise, and cypress. As it dries down a strangely nougaty, and a sort of roasty, nutty nuance shows up. It rounds out in it's later stage, becoming almost lactic and sweet, but with a strange, almost savory (curry-esque) spiciness that is intriguing. Due to this nature of the creation of this, there is a sort of roughness. It wears ragged, endearingly disheveled, with some strange points in the wearing where an accord feels a little heavy or a little light. I think it works because it was never intended as some expertly blended, lab tested "pleasant aroma". It smells way more "real world" while not smelling like anything that actually exists. It must be said though, that one might expect something a little bit more polished for such a hefty price tag.Additionally I do feel that this is the kind of fragrance that one would not get a whole lot of wear out of due to it's strangeness and heaviness (this in 100 degree Florida weather is gonna be interesting come summer..). Its sort of a special occasion fragrance, for a baffling, mysterious, yet also jovial night. I have been enjoying this a ton and It lives up to the Perfumers respective back catalogs. Theres elements of both of their work in this, and I think choosing a genre that neither of them have really done before forced both of them to get out of their comfort zone and get seriously creative and unexpected. Definitely, definitely worth a try. 8/10

Eating hazelnut nougat in the herb garden behind an Indian restaurant. This morphs like smoke around me, and I compulsively sniff myself. I cannot imagine reaching for it to wear often, but it is so different, so intriguing, that I adore it even still. Chocolate powder, fenugreek, immortelle, campfire smoke, sticky nougat, fresh green herbs, musty basement mushrooms, so much more immortelle. It's almost the scent version of three course mediterranean food: stuffed grape leaves; yellow curried smoked lamb; baklava. All at once one moment, then in pieces, then trading off, then all at once again. Do I 245$ of love it? Nope. But the more I wear my sample, the more I consider a decant.

Very interesting fragrance. I get an opening that reminds me of a smokey-foresty-camphorous walk through a forest. Then the most rich, dark, almost pungent dark chocolate note kicks in. Then the camphor reigns supreme for a time, but it is still pleasing. This is not a Vick's vapor rub camphor smell... it's more like the real thing, more herbal. After that, as @gloriouslove points out, I get a nice anamalic vanilla (benzoin?) dry down. Probably not the most versatile scent you'll find, but certainly a worthy adventure. I love wearing it on a winter Saturday. Two thumbs up for an adventurous, unique, and ultimately really nice smelling scent!

Imagine using a real dead animal as a piñata stuffing it with candy mainly licorice, some resinous dried fruits and throw in some rotten dark chocolate with very sitff pieces of toffe for good measure that's the image I get whenever I wear it. It doesn't smell like anything I've tried before. Took me a while to try and put what I smell into words still hard. Cadavre Exquis can be terrifyingly scary or extremely sweet and beautiful (never pretty though) it all depends on your point of view. I embrace Cadavre Exquis scary and all the perfect scent for Halloween love it.