Metal

When I asked for this in a swap, I expected something very "metallic", futuristic or "shiny"...what I got was a pleasant surprise indeed! Aldehydes and galbanum greeted me with an airy and green embrace. Basil keeps it fresh, as opposed to just the resiny scent of the galbanum. Just enough citrus and fresh hyacinth keep this airy and crisp, with a hint of innocent sensuality. The heart of flowers is very well-blended, with the tender ones (muguet, jasmine and cyclamen) keeping the "power" flowers from taking over (rose, tuberose, ylang) while a cool steely iris provides the perfect fulcrum for this springlike see-saw. This was released in 1979, huh? This has all of the class of a vintage, without the "volume" of most fragrances from that era. PR Metal is a truly elegant floral perfume that lasts, without becoming cloying or tiresome. The drydown: slightly soapy with REAL oakmoss and vetiver...powdery and rife with green loveliness. Amber and musk? Musk, perhaps...white, but nice. Amber, maybe a hint of real ambergris-I find nothing overly oriental here. Just a beautiful clean finish to a lovely opening and beautiful bouquet-like heart. Sillage: good Longevity: very good Overall: 3.75/5 As far as the Press Release on this scent goes: Joyful and bright...Yeah! Girly and sweet...not so much. I am a man and wear this scent. If you like fresh (NOT aquatic) green tinted scents with flowers and a nice clean dry finish; then this is for you, regardless of whether you wear pants or a dress. I do, however like metallic accessories, maybe THAT is why PRM and I get on so well!

Exquisite fragrance ! Metal is intense, dry, vivid, cutting, clear, dewy, lofty, refined, and -a touch herbacous. This is an extremely "modern" scent, and simultaneously, such a natural, true, classic, pure floral! The written description of notes here in the database varies greatly from the pictures of notes shown. I must agree more with the photo description of notes. The Aldehydes are a magnificent but small touch; not heavy or prominent, as in other perfumes; yet adding so much enjoyment and pleasure. There is a whisper of Galbanum mixing in with blooming fresh white flowers. The Cyclamen, and Iris, add a sense of playfulness to the white flower notes. The Ylang Ylang, Amber, Sandalwood, Musk, and Oak Moss give the perfume depth and weight so that it just does not disappear. One can enjoy all the flowers from a far with good sillage, and appreciate the excellent base when moving in close to the skin.

Metal opens with fresh galbanum green--a refined green, though, not as sharp and acidic as Silences. The basil is there adding a herb freshness. This is very early Spring, when bits of unmelted snow still linger in the shaded parts of the garden. True hyacinth scent follows the green, and then the lily of the valley unfolds with the jasmine. The heart is a beautifully balanced floral, with the Iris adding depth. The drydown retains a brightness mellowed by amber and woods, and of course oakmoss. This is a delightful fragrance, chic and complex--definitely bottle-worthy.

One of the greatest scents in the entire history of perfumery and, in its heyday, very reasonably priced. Predictably, it's now extremely hard to find. But, it seems it's all about profits -- the bottom line on the balance sheet. Perfume houses will happily chuck out a scent regardless of its long and faithful following. They're only after numbers, big numbers worldwide and that can only be possible with bland, plastic scents that smell like supermarket shower-gels and don't make too bold a statement. R.I.P Metal. I will miss you very much.

I can't believe I am finally reviewing this post haste due to overlooking how wonderful this fragrance truly is to me. This is a true, old skool chypre floral that I humbly failed to realize its ultimate potential until much later. This frag could have been seriously undermined as an ultimate chypre=dry-aldehyde-floral which stands on its own feet. It is sublime, but bursting with a deepening freshness that is a hard act to follow. . .. a true gem amongst the unpolished. I will always love it. P.S. Reminds me of Eau de Metal/Paco Rabanne