Tony Iommi Monkey Special

Man oh man. As a guitar player for 20 years, a big Sabbath fan, like another review below me, this along with Back to the Beginning having just happened, this purchase just felt right. Ordered this as a total blind buy, I saw the "smells like" had A*Man and I dig that one a lot in the cooler months. I also noticed that there are a LOT of frags out there with celebrity names on them, be it the brand or the frag itself, but this for me was the first niche offering that I'd ever seen attached to someone. This absolutely blows away ANY other frag that I've ever seen in that "celebrity" category. Its just on another level. It opens really abrupt and fierce, boatloads of rum, passionfruit, leather, rose, and a metric SHIT TON of patchouli, the longer it sits, I get caramel and cinnamon dancing around too. It has a very luxurious chocolatey coffee thing. Like if you gave A*Man a HUGE Luxurious makeover. There is a beautiful touch of freshness here as well that doesn't seem to be in the accords or notes here but there is a touch of something, maybe that passion fruit? That with the patchouli, almost makes this a weird kind of fresh gourmand. The patchouli itself with the leather, seems to provide a smoky kind of thing to it too. REALLY well done, like they put a lot of thought into making this something special, and this isn't missed here. I could imagine Tony Iommi and other bigger rock guys smelling like this, 100%, especially over the years meeting some guys like that at my job, I've smelled stuff very much like this sometimes. It actually deeply reminded me of what Ace Frehley and his manager smelled like when they came into where I work. Hard to say if this is the fragrance, but it seems to check the boxes. This truly does smell like someone that has influence, someone that wants it to be known that THEY are in charge, THEY are the center of the attention. The performance is immaculate, for the price of almost 300, its exactly what I'd expect, huge sillage, longevity that I can tell even after I take a shower and apply fragrance today, my sample spray of this will still be there. THIS is how all high priced fragrance should be, sure maybe take the sillage down a bit on warm weather frags, but I want shit that for 300 bucks doesn't need reapplying after a few hours. And while the price is high for this, this is one like Sauvage Elixir and a few others I own, where it feels worth it every bit. I do not recommend this stuff for the hotter weather. Not at all. Lol. I'd say any temp under 50 or so would do this stuff a lot more justice... It's hard testing it out for the first time on a hot day because all I keep thinking even sitting in my AC at home, is that DAMN this is like a goth Christmas in a bottle. Lol. The one thing I will say, and this is not a negative as I'll be 32 this year, and the reviewer under me would appear to be able to attest to this, but most younger noses will smell this and immediately think its mature and for old guys, I disagree, but I can see why you say it. I think more its the patchouli, its a very dominant patchouli note they've used here, earthy and gritty, and its definitely something that is gunna be either you love it, or hate it. I personally think its the best patchouli I've encountered so far. I'd say any age can wear this, but its all in your confidence to pull it off, but also, its not the kind of stuff a pop star would wear, or I can't see a preppy high school kid wearing it either... I could, however, see a 20 year old in a metal band wearing this all the same. It has that darkness to it that requires a certain wearer in my eyes. If you enjoy stuff like Black Orchid or Encre Noir, this sort of thing is a good choice for you. It's not similar to those, but it sits in a very dark wheelhouse. In this case, a very dark, but exotic, and luxurious wheelhouse. Lol. One thing I like with fragrance, is choosing a good one to wear when a band I'm in is playing a show, and this for me, along with a couple others in my collection, are absolutely reserved for this purpose, with this now being the number one choice for me. All in all this is one of the greatest fragrances I've ever had the privilege to smell, let alone own a full bottle of. It's like a mix of A*Man and the smell of the store Hot Topic, but the way it smelled in the 90s and early 2000s. That kind of incense patchouli smell. It's literally fucking AMAZING. This is also my first Xerjoff, and I think now that I have one, I may end up atleast grabbing Naxos at some point and maybe another one, just not certain of which yet. This is one of those that keeps you pulling your arm up to your face like a fool because you just keep wanting more of it. Lol. A new fall and winter favorite. I just need it to be fall and winter. 😂

WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY SMELLS Black Sabbath are credited with the creation of heavy metal. The success of their first two albums - Black Sabbath and Paranoid - marked a paradigm shift in the world of rock. It was then that the term "heavy metal" entered the popular vocabulary to describe the denser and thunderous form of rock. In my memory, two members of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi, were the masters of such a creation. Osbourne, with his devilish lyrics, but also with his melodic voice, made the heavy sounds still be understood as music. Iommi was the guitar man who turned every note into a pound of lead. Tony Iommi once said in an interview, "The name (Black Sabbath) sounded mysterious, it gave people something to think about and it gave us a direction to follow". Black Sabbath were the polar opposite of the Beatles (although they all liked the Beatles). Whereas the Fab Four sang "yeah, yeah, yeah", Osbourne pleaded "no, no, please, no" in Black Sabbath. Tony Iommi combines his monolithic riffs with Xerjoff's esteemed expertise to create the first multi-sensory interaction between music and perfume in an unexpected and unique olfactory venture. The Tony Iommi Monkey Special by Xerjoff is what rock 'n' roll was to Iommi in the late 60s. Tony Iommi Monkey Special is the epitome of a niche fragrance. What do you picture when you think of a heavy metal rock star? Probably a leather jacket, a Gibson lead guitar and the inevitable "sex & drugs & rock 'n' roll". This fragrance is all of that and more, and is a work of art. It opens with a strong rum note paired with sweet and tart passion fruit. This blend reminds me of the smell of a strong cherry liqueur called "ginginha" in Portugal. Defined as such, it's overly attractive, but definitely not an overly alcoholic accord. There is also a dry, leathery note, which is perfectly in keeping with the olfactory image of a rock star. A typical Xerjoff rose emerges in the background, with warm spices, cinnamon, caramel and tonka providing the necessary sweetness, but also depth and sophistication. All in all, a very special and unique perfume. I combines the arts of pleasure, seduction and passion. That's what heavy metal is all about, at least for those who love the genre. All in all, this is a very special and unique perfume. I combines the arts of pleasure, seduction and passion. That's what heavy metal is all about, at least for those who love the genre. Xerjoff has created many fragrances that could be considered masterpieces. However, it's no exaggeration to say that Tony Iommi Monkey Special is different and... special! For me, it is one of Xerjoff's best fragrances. It suits my needs perfectly for autumn, winter and cold spring days. As well as being unique, it is a little strange because I cannot define it. Yes, it is a sophisticated and wonderfully beautiful fragrance that touches the boundaries of a boozy and gourmand scent without ever being exactly that. It's like an old Black Sabath concert... very difficult to describe, but defiantly enchanting and wonderful. MY OPINION: His perfume is extremely popular with everyone who smells it: Men, women, dogs, cats... you name it! Be careful with the dosage, the scent is a beast! The low to normal dose of three sprays can be enough to fill a room. If you use it in a club, you will be sharing ownership of the scent with a dozen more people 🙂 . It's also very expensive. My 50ml bottle cost me €170 with shipping. For this reason alone, I would advise you to try it before making a purchase decision. Otherwise, this fragrance would seem to justify a blind purchase. MUSIC: "Changes" by Black Sabath (published in: https://www.facebook.com/groups/733041855168347)

Did you know that this fragrance has its own soundtrack? Tony Iommi himself actually recorded a track together with the Xerjoff founder (who is also a guitarist). Look it up on YouTube: "Tony Iommi & Xerjoff - Scent of Dark". Now, which other fragrance can say this? Kinda cool. People weren't joking when they said this is strong. This shit isn't even nuclear, this is neutron star supernova galactic threat explosion level. When I bought it, I sprayed it once on my leather jacket. Four weeks later, I went for vacation to Santorini. Took Naxos as my daily fragrance, but I brought the same leather jacket with me and I put it in the hotel room wardrobe, then I closed it. It was warm so I didn't need the jacket. When I opened the wardrobe 5 days later to pack for my flight I got hit by a flashbang of Monkey Special, still from the leather jacket. You can probably smell it inside to this day. As for the scent, in the same hotel, by coincidence a pool bartender brought me his signature cocktail for free, he told me some of the ingredients are secret, but he can tell me it has vanilla, passion fruit and rum. When I took a sip I immediately remembered my leather jacket in the wardrobe. It does also have a tiny bit of that old lady "rose scented hand cream" quality to it, which luckily isn't too strong, but it might be an issue for some. I like rose so I'm okay with it. If you too like Chanel Egoiste you'll be right at home. Being a metalhead myself, I don't really see the "heavy metal" in this fragrance, it doesn't have the same dark, brooding quality as the music, I think it's more cheerful due to the passion fruit, although it certainly has a heavy presence. People will definitely smell you inside a concert venue. And probably those walking outside in front of it as well. It's not something you wear daily. Very easy to get tired of. Just like listening to metal for 24 hours a day, including sleep. But it is addicting in a way. You will find yourself reaching for the bottle and smelling it over and over if you're in the right mood. Which for me is maybe a few days in a month, not more. But then I'm glad it's sitting on my shelf and it will be there for a while, probably. Also: the bottle design is the bomb. And it comes in a leather packaging. AND you get a guitar pick (a shitty one, but a guitar pick nonetheless). Pretty cool to have in your collection as a guitarist. 10/10 presentation.

First and foremost, Monkey Special is a standout fragrance in my collection and easily one of my overall top 10 favorites, especially for the cold weather. It ranks high here on Parfumo on the unisex list, but in my personal opinion it leans masculine. Monkey Special is a complex blend created by Chris Maurice, the same guy who created Alexandria II. It opens with a sweet (note, it is sweet indeed...) and exotic mix of passion fruit, rum, and Calabrian bergamot, creating an exotic compound - although I mentioned "rum", this won't make you stink of booze... it is a warm scent that reminds you of "rum". As it develops, it reveals deeper spicy tones from leather, patchouli, and cinnamon. The rose is there, you can smell it... but it is absolutely not dominant. It helps reinforcing the fragrance's substance, and it makes it smell opulent. The final phase sets into a comforting woody and creamy base of sandalwood, caramel, tonka bean, ambergris, and musk. Now, moving on to my personal experience with it. One of the most remarkable aspects of Monkey Special, which I found being quite rare in non-clone fragrances is the "Miracle of Maceration." Initially, when I first sprayed it, the scent lasted around 6 hours. However, after about 6 months, the performance dramatically improved. Now, it easily reaches 12+ hours of longevity with good projection for the first 4 hours, leaving a perceptible scent bubble for around 8 hours. On clothes, it will last for a couple of days at least. I would say that Monkey Special is a great option for nights out or evening occasions, thanks to its sweet, and spicy mix of accords layered with leathery, fruity, and woody notes. In my opinion, it is more suitable for a mature audience (30+). I must also say that I don't exactly perceive the "rock star vibe", but it is definitely a fragrance that does not smell cheap. In fact, Monkey Special is one of the few fragrances that in my case has consistently received comments on it "smelling expensive". Yes, factually it is expensive, but the unique composition and high staying power make it worth the £££ - just wait for a good offer or a partial bottle. Additionally, if you care about bottles and presentation overall this one is top-notch.

Felt like coming in and giving this a slight re-review as I have now had a day to actually wear this instead of sampling it here and there.... What to even say? Where to even start? Hands down, this is without any question at all, tied for the absolute BEST fragrance I have EVER smelled, let alone owned a full bottle of... It sits in a 3 way tie with any concentration of Sauvage, and Apex by Roja. Breaking the notes down, to put it simply, this stuff is a slightly boozy, leathery, patchouli in spades, caramel BOMB. Nothing more to say on the notes. This essentially to me, smells like someone who commands attention, someone that is announcing they have arrived, it exudes power, sophistication and dare I say, wealth almost. Lmfao. Longevity is really nice, you truly get your money's worth out of this one. I applied this today at 3pm, it is now midnight 9 hours later, and this is performing still, VERY much so still performing. The sillage is pretty epic all in all, it almost doesn't really tame much like a lot of other frags do, I'd say 9 hours in, the sillage is somewhere between strong still, and more moderate, but is definitely on the strong to enormous side all in all. Comparing this to other fragrances and smells; i mentioned in my previous review of this, that it has a definite similarity to A*Man, but it's like if they made A*Man as an extreme niche offering, all in all it doesn't really get that close, the patchouli will try and fool you, but this is genuinely different overall. To me, this deeply reminds me of if you sprayed A*Man in the early 2000's version of the store "Hot Topic". A very incense like touch mixing with a very gourmand caramel and LOADS of patchouli. Definitely smells like a rockstar. Lol. But not the way you'd likely imagine it. Really glad to be able to come and give this a final review now that I've gotten to wear it. It really is some level of masterpiece. Quality is not missed here at all.

🎸 The Resurrection of Leather and Riffs It doesn’t open. It tears through the silence like a power chord screaming in a cathedral. Rum, passionfruit, geranium, and bergamot hit like neon lights in a dark venue. That passionfruit? It’s not playful — it’s fermented, boozy, and twisted like someone drowned a tropical cocktail in black leather. Then comes the heart: Leather, patchouli, rose, cinnamon. Like a jacket that smells like sin, poetry, and bloodstained roses. It’s syrupy dark, but not sticky. This isn’t playful sweetness. This is sugar that’s been burned, buried, then dug up under a blood moon. There’s something dirty in it — not unclean, but unapologetic. Like someone who didn’t shower after the show and still stole the spotlight. It smells like the stage after the encore, the whiskey soaked floor of a venue where legends bled and kissed and screamed. You don’t wear this on a sunny day. You wear this when you’re done pretending to be nice. It’s part rockstar, part fallen angel. Like Eric Draven / The Crow resurrected not for love, but for revenge with style. The leather is cracked. The passionfruit is fermented. The caramel is boiled. The patchouli is not earthy — it’s electrified. And in that haze of caramel, ambergris, sandalwood, labdanum, tonka, vanilla, and musk; you don’t find sweetness. You find a ritual. This isn’t a gourmand. This is a funeral banquet for rockstars. ⸻ 10/10. 🖤 Don’t wear this to flirt. Wear it when the lights go out, and it’s just you, your demons, and the stage. Not safe. Not friendly. Just unforgettable.

Overall 10/10 - MS is the scent that made me learn to treat cologne like art. Distinct opening, mid, and dry down. It’s challenging but the more I critiqued it, the more I realized how good it is. It has a shock value that you will either love or run away from. Scent Only 10/10 - I used to not like the opening, now I appreciate it as the catalyst to one of the best dry downs ever. It is a screechy and sharp open but somehow completely changes into a rich, sweet, leathery close. Performance 10/10 - All you need is 2-4 sprays. It fills small rooms. The scent trail is easily 6+ feet. I smell like this until I shower it off the next day. Even then I still can get a skin scent. Long story short, this is not blind buy safe. First impressions are deceiving. You could love one half and not the other. The opening is sharp, screechy and reminds me of hairspray. Not that it smells bad but it can throw someone off and give up before they get to the other side of this. Once dried, I think this is an amazing leather cologne. A leather jacket, that somehow radiates a sticky sweetness. Nothing else truly smells like Monkey Special.

I have a lot to say about this. Tony Iommi Monkey Special by Xerjoff is one of those fragrances that you look up online and after 5 reviews and a quick look at the notes might make you want to dive into buying it. You’ll think: “This is straight up rockstar juice.” Don’t be fooled so easy tho, as it is a hardly likeable smell. I’m not saying it’s bad, because I always present it as the best quality fragrance in my entire collection, and you can feel it from the start where the passionfruit and rum make that powerful entrance like a rockstar would do in its concert. Then, the leather and patchouli start to gain strength while the cinnamon and caramel give it a smoother background. This all just sounds exquisite, but it’s a 50/50 with people not gonna lie. It is a dark, mature, winter night fragrance. I really like the whole concept behind the fragrance, the presentation is a 10/10, the bottle just looks amazing, but the scent itself can be quite polarizing. Be careful. Edit: I forgot to write about this originally, but the performance is NUCLEAR. I’m talking Arabians Tonka performance.

Usually you'd expect a fragrance tie-in with a rock star to be expendable trash or overly loud and unsubtle. That doesn't apply to Tony Iommi Monkey Special - it's a very fun fragrance that actually captures a lot of the vibe of not just Black Sabbath, but that sort of occult rock / doom metal genre that they inspired. To me, this gives three things: rum, patchouli and caramel. This is not far off from the overall vibe of the doom metal scene - I recall once playing a show in a small doom metal bar in London and backstage they had a whole load of herbs and incense that the staff used to carry out magic rituals (seriously). Then the bar itself smells of lots of spilled jagermeister, rum, whatever else people knocked over. This fragrance has the patchouli for the sort of "weird goth shop" vibes and then the rum for the "listens to Black Sabbath" vibes. The caramel rounds it out and prevents these notes from clashing but overall this is a very fun-to-wear and interesting smelling fragrance. Would definitely recommend.

Forget "safe." Forget "mass appealing." Monkey Special doesn't ask for permission—it takes over the room the moment you spray it. This isn't a fragrance; it's a full-blown performance. Dark rum, smoky leather, exotic spices, and that unmistakable animalic edge come together like the soundtrack to a late-night rock concert. Every time I wear it, I discover another layer hiding beneath the chaos. The performance is outrageous. One or two sprays are all it takes, and it stays with me well into the next day. Jackets remember it for days, and rooms remember that I was there. The best part? It doesn't smell "clean" or "pretty." It smells alive. Wild. Dangerous. Like luxury with a rebellious soul. If Alexandria II is the king in a tailored suit, Monkey Special is the rock legend walking on stage in black leather. It's unapologetic, addictive, and one of the few fragrances that still gives me goosebumps every time I wear it. Masterpiece.

I own 50 bottles of perfume and I really put a hard stop. I had no intention to buy any additional ones. Now I own 51. I just randomly put my nose on this and it is THAT good. So good that 24 hours after smelling it I decided to get it. Now I am seriously considering getting a few bottles to have in the future, unopened. Hands down this is going to be signature scent. I had the same reaction with Zoologist's T-Rex and Habit Rouge Parfum by Guerlain. Absolutely amazing scent, warm and inviting but at the same time bold. I can definitely feel the passion fruit, the amber and a slight hint of something cigar-like in the opening. Patchouli is clearly in there. Leather is hard to pick up but maybe it's because I'm used to Tom Ford too much. My wife can't get enough of it. 11/10. Bonus: I'm a metalhead and the presentation was stunning. Did I mention you get a guitar pick as well as a leather box? (I play guitar).

Just got my bottle in...I’ll write a real review after wearing it all day tomorrow and my eyes roll back in the front of my head....it’s as if you took the deliciousnes of Oajan(cinnamon vanilla tonka) but no apple pie, and mixed it with a big hit of some of the best patchouli then wrapped it suede...the rose is clear from smelling the atomizer and upon the initial spray but blends in expertly..they managed to make this delicious but not edible or gourmand, they grounded the sweet notes firmly in the earthy patchouli and leather...I can’t really think of anything quite like this, only parts of other fragrances that Monkey Special remind me of, somewhere I read someone say Plum Japonaise and I agree that it creates a similar “feel” with the exotic fruit and spices and earthy notes, but this is much darker and superior imo... this is truly a great value at the $250-ish shipped price 👌🏻

I usually dislike caramel as a note in perfumery, but in this scent it's done in the best fashion i've come across. The rum-passion opening until the mid was very strong and pungent, but from the mid onto the drydown several hours later, this has settled into a dark, mysterious scent with a beautiful patchouli, rum, sandalwood and vanilla scent on my skin. Addicting stuff, but not for the faint of heart. Edit: Wore this while i was a bouncer at a bar. A girl on the way out told me how ''delicate'' i smell and the wardrobe guy said there was an interesting smell in the air. It's just phenomenal, one of the best fragrances I've ever come across, hands down. I've even grown to appreciate the pungent and ''damp'' opening. As others have mentioned, this is like wearing 3 fragrances in one, delving deep into an olfactory journey reserved only for the few who dare to take the ride.

This tingles my brain as a boozy fragrance lover. Tony Iommi Monkey Special is among the best boozy fragrances I've tried, as well as the best Xerjoff I've tried so far (haven't tried many to be fair). This is primarily a boozy patchouli and passionfruit scent in the opening, with a noticeable and delectable balsamic maple syrupy closer to the skin. As it dries the rum and passionfruit subside and this becomes an amazing patchouli and vanilla scent. This is a stunning fragrance from beginning to end and the sillage in the air smells intoxicatingly good, I was almost inhaling aggresively to keep smelling this. Performance is great, and this is coming from spraying a sample with a crap atomizer. Projection is strong and sillage is pretty dense, you'll smell yourself for a few hours pretty easily. Longevity is good too, reaches 8 hours without lifting a finger.

“The Wealthy Roman Catholic Priest in a Bottle” This might be Xerjoff’s best performer. Spray it on clothes in the closet, and it lingers for days. Luxurious, classy — all that, yet rose on my skin? Not my favorite. Paying $169 for a tester, $270 with the box... maybe more than I should have. I prefer Hugo Boss Bottled Elixir, and I’m head over heels for Mancera Red. Paris Corner North Stag Quattro smelling like Sunny D for $35? Works for me. To each their own. Smelling like a wealthy Roman Catholic priest can be undeniably sexy — if you’re wearing a suit. This isn’t a rock star scent. It’s sophistication over rebellion. Not old leather, not booze-drenched — it’s money. If a money scent is your thing, this could be it. Sample first, unless your wallet is as adventurous as mine. I can’t be more honest than that.

Right now, this fragrance is firmly on my Mount Rushmore. The opening hits you with a punch of rum, immediately followed by a burst of passion fruit. It's not complicated, but it doesn't need to be—it’s pure perfection. As the rum fades, patchouli takes over, with a bold, earthy, leathery character. Vanilla and rose quietly linger in the background, subtly making their presence known. As it dries down, waves of tonka, caramel, labdanum, and musk roll in, each layer building on the last. This scent is mesmerizing, with layers so perfectly balanced it’s almost impossible to describe. It’s like a rockstar captured in a bottle, a genie waiting to be released. And let’s not forget about its performance—this one lasts forever, filling the room with its presence. It’s a true 10/10 fragrance.

Love this scent. Love the bottle and the presentation. It's absolutely amazing and a great boozy and sweet scent with a splash of gourmand elements in it. Upon first spray you immediately smell the Xerjoff DNA and as it starts to dry down it transforms into something like a combination of Via Cavour, Naxos, TF Plum Japonais and Noir de Noir, with a touch of booze, smoke, and leather all sitting on a big bed of passionfruit. It's a very interesting scent and not a difficult one to wear. Despite it having passionfruit, the scent doesn't come off too feminine. Initial spray leans more fem, but as it dries down it starts becoming more masculine. Perfectly unisex. It's not unique, but I'm glad to own a full bottle and can't wait to incorporate this into my rotations.

Experienced some significant batch variation that I'm not digging. My first bottle was extremely heavy on the rum, fruit, florals and patchouli, with a solid tonka and vanilla backbone that just made for a muddled but beautiful smoky sweet potpourri. Never smelled caramel. Got a second bottle, and it's so damn caramel heavy that it's almost a totally different frag. That great muddy nightmare of a scent profile is still there, but everything else takes a back seat to the prominent caramel, which I do not like. I highly recommend this fragrance, so long as it's the former rather than the latter. Luckily the caramel dies down in about fifteen minutes, but it's a rough go, to begin with, with this second bottle for me at least.

This was a blind buy for me and im so happy i bought it. This is by far my favorite fragrance ive ever smelt. It opens up with a nice spicy and citrus smell mixed with a strong boozy accord. You then get hit with the patchouli (its pretty strong) and the rose (also very strong). It then dries down to an amazing blend of sweet vanilla, caramel, booziness, patchouli, hints of rose, and hints of spiciness. Its a nice gourmand fragrance mixed with patchouli and booze. Very mature and masculine. I find myself getting compliments by older generations rather than my peers who are around 20 years old. I dont think my description did it justice, to my nose its a true masterpiece. Lasts and projects amazingly. I give it a 20/10

This is a absolute masterpiece. Nothing smells like this, and I don't foresee any releases smelling similar. Word of caution though, this is definitely one of those fragrances that may wear you, rather than you wear the fragrance. It is complex, a powerhouse, and it smells like nothing else out there. I love it, personally to me it's sweet, its but not in a gourmand like fashion, more like something that is spiritual, with the patchouli, sandalwood and labdanum. Definitely not blind buy worthy or a compliment magnet. You wear this because you don't give a shit what others think, like a true rockstar. Smell: 9/10 (personal taste) Projection: 9/10 Longevity:12/10 (forever) Price: 1/10 (way too expensive at retail)