Godspeed

A difficult fragrance, which I also did not like at first: incense and lots of pepper fight for attention and dominance, ultimately appeased by lots of synthetic amber. "Godspeed" seems as if it emerges from an ancient wooden box , which has become damp and mossy over time. All this does not smell charming, not pretty and neat, not soothing or seductive, but it smells exciting and different, full of contrasts and dissonant, only gradually softening and becoming friendlier. Slow perfume for advanced in a way.

Spicy incense with pepper and ambroxan for good measure.. Quite nutty aswell.. It’s one of those scents that are really hard to describe. You just have to experience it for yourself. My favorite from Malbrum, no doubt.

overtly masc, the opening is peppery by nature & equal parts smoky and sweet. the rose is quite hidden, however it is detectable within the blend after letting the smoke in the immediate opening(to my nose where it is the heaviest) settle down. I mostly only get slightly dried facets of it within the first hour, in the sillage rather than up close. past the immediate opening, the amount of amber molecules used keeps this from being in any sort of risk taking area for the first couple of hours. the drydown has interesting facets; at parts reminds me of a spice cabinet (not as in a clear 'spice' note - think stale, slightly musty air with hints of nondescript spice notes) & at other moments veers close to a pile of mulch - however, a woody-amber aromachem + musk + oakmoss structured base is at all times the main protagonist here. as the scent progresses, the oakmoss (according to the ingredients list on the box, genuine oakmoss, whether it's bolstered w/ an accord I couldn't tell you confidently either way) strengthens and the sweetness regresses, settling into a rigid and cooling burnt incense cone. in all, I find it quite handsome & well done. I think it's most appropriate for fall time, day or night. it's worth noting that essentially all of the amber accord as it is used here comes off as distinctly modern and synthetic. that's not to say "cheap" or "poorly done"; to be honest I find it to be very well made. I only bring it up to say: do not expect any rich, decadent 20th century french style amber accords with dollops of resins and natural sweeteners. this is not that nor do I believe it's intended to be. at a constructive level, most (if not all) of this scent profile derives its depth and nuance from the naturals, that is, the pepper, rose, frankincense, oakmoss, etc. the amber accord is tantamount to canvas material in this particular context. as an aside, something about this smells like there's cade oil in here, but honestly that's just a gut feeling from my nose. sorta has the same interplay of smoke & incense that's in A Midnight Stroll by Gucci, albeit the supporting cast and ultimately scent profile of the two differ vastly. as far as projection and longevity goes, this behaves like a base heavy extrait should - more longevity than you will need, steady projection within a foot. this is just my opinion, but if this projected any louder it would be marginally less functional and probably less enjoyable as a wearing experience.

Woody. Spicy. Incense. Meh. Some inharmonious going on here, but not overt or obvious. You have to dig in to uncover the mehness the mehitude. It's not bad; it's nothing special. Too spicy. File this away with Armani Code.

Very peppery, leaning more masculine. Fully agree with the first comment from sables19. Well said. Hard to wear.