The Voice Of The Snake

A deep, haunting blend of what my nose tells me is slightly animalic, mostly natural oud with saffron and patchouli. Personally, I love that there isn't a rose anywhere near this fragrance as I am fast reaching the point of fatigue with rose/ouds. The scent here is richer and more complex than either (my beloved) Guilty Absolute or Guilty Oud, but I see some similarities. It is no surprise, therefore, that like Guilty Absolute, this fragrance is far from universally loved. Just look at the reviews below this one and you'll see the evidence of a divisive fragrance. I am on the love side of this divide. The leather accord produced by the interplay of the saffron with the oud is great. The oud itself is high quality smelling and has great depth. The patchouli is funky and musky and sexy. On my skin, this fragrance is marvelous. Personally, I like the packaging on the Alchemist's Garden line and appreciate the old apothecary bottle look of the painted flasks with their embossed caps. Atomizers are very good throughout the line. I think Voice of the Snake is one of the stand-out fragrances in a generally excellent product range. But it seems that many reviewers here dislike this scent. To each their own, I guess. Obviously, with such divided reviews, you'll want to sample this stuff on skin to see if it works for you before considering a purchase. Given the high prices Gucci ask for this fragrance, I would think very few people would blind buy Voice of the Snake anyway. I must admit, however, that blind buy is exactly what I did, and I am delighted to own my bottle. It is a shame the negative reviewers were not in the biblical garden in place of Adam and Eve. Had they reacted to the voice of the snake there the way they have to this fragrance, we'd all still be in Eden. As for me, I can resist anything except temptation, and, appropriately enough, I find the Voice of the Snake plenty tempting in its oudy goodness and musky, leathery naughtiness. Recommended for oud/saffron lovers and folks looking for a richer, deeper variation on Gucci's Guilty Oud or Guilty Absolute.

I reviewed this a while back, on my first impressions as I experienced it on my partner. I want to update: this stuff is gorgeous on the right person. The opening is sublime - it's like cassis liqueur and leather - the jammy, intense dark rose with the bitter oud is a classic combination. I've experienced that combination in MFK's Oud Silk Mood, but really 'Snake' is more compelling, plus the way it works from start to finish reminds me of proper old-school perfumery - not that it's old fashioned, just the way it takes a beautiful journey from start to finish. Somewhere in the middle you have a dark avant-garde smoky Lapsang Souchong that seems softened by woods, towards the end it's a little more patchouli, but chocolaty and bitter/smoky. It's very sensual - I find it quite swoon-worthy on my partner. I don't think it would be right for a man who seeks something more fresh and light - I do think it suits a more mature man, or at least someone quite grounded and assertive. Also Id definitely say more evening than daytime. That's just my subjective experience though, so apologies to anyone who experiences it differently! Sillage and longevity excellent.

This is truly a niche scent so it won't be for everybody. The initial blast and dry down are unisex and the middle is more masculine leaning... sharp, spicy and warm which reminds me of something an older gentleman would wear. I'm a girl btw and I purchased it blindly, absolutely love it and I think it could be my new signature scent. If you consider yourself to be confident, mysterious, somewhat elusive, unique enough to wear something other than the stereotypical flowery/fruity scents and enjoy complex, bordering dark fragrances then you'll appreciate this. This isn't mass appeal so don't expect compliments. This is for you only. Update: I have my bottle for almost 2 months so it's macerated causing the scent profile to change slightly from when I initially got it. The opening and mid are just so perfectly blended giving a very sophisticated unisex scent. The base is mainly oud which can get a bit animalic. At this point, getting whiffs of this in the air from my little scent bubble makes it more tolerable than smelling it directly off my skin. Performance is good..it should give you a solid 6 hours with 4 sprays in cool temperatures.

I have this for a while now.. I used ombré nomade and Nishane mana more lately as replacement but came back to it last days.. and whoooow!!! It has changed or my nose got better. This is a different vibe then those other 2 which I thought where similar. Now .. the blast of oud and a warm leathery saffron kick immediately. Very Smokey and intens. But at the same time so comforting ( oud ). After a while the patch settles the base and the oud calms down. You’re left with this leathery vibe ( saffron) with a very intens dark patchouli.. the oud never fades completely to hold the structure. This is the kind of scent that is mysterious, bold yet comfortable. Exactly what you’d expect from a designer with a high price: deep yet comfortable. Daring yet not difficult. The dna is pretty common though, but it’s blended to perfection here. The transition is very smooth. Longevity is very very good. 4 sprays on my wrist and it goes 12+ hours easy. Clothes ... weeks even after laundry. 9/10 for me definitely! No fruits and definitely not animalic. Something sweet is lingering but not to present as well.

This is a good oud fragrance and oud is not in your face like some others. It's a fresher and more wearable take on oud and quite enjoyable. I like this but also this is not something that everyone would like it. IMO, targeted to more mature gents. Gucci Guilty Absolute is ranked first in terms of similarity but smelling them next to each other, they are their own things and not that similar. And I have no earthly idea why this says it is for women and men!!! Spoiler alert! It's super masculine. Having said all of that, I yet cannot justify the price of this. To me it is very expensive for what it is. I can think of a lot of other nice fragrances that are not even half of the price of this. Not sure how you can test it without spending a lot of money on it but if you can, definitely do because it has a $300+ price tag. Also it looks like it is one of those frags that smells quite different depends on what you spray it on. For me it smells much better on my shirt than my skin. Moreover, for me silage is just OK. Longevity is good though. It will go for hours.