Old Demons of the First Class

[Lethran]

We must have all the old demons of the first class, with tails, and the hobgoblins and imps; and then I think we ought not to leave out the death-horse, or the grave-pig, or even the church dwarf, although they do belong to the clergy, and are not reckoned among our people; but that is merely their office, they are nearly related to us, and visit us very frequently.

OLD DEMONS OF THE FIRST CLASS
Siberian musk, black clove, opoponax, tonka, black pepper, and neroli.

In bottle: It’s like opening a wooden spice chest. The musk and clove are delightful together. The pepper gives a sharp edge to it, the tonka and neroli gentle it. I’m loving this despite the odd note of the opoponax. Wet: This musk is right on the edge of what my skin can handle, but the clove is a good choice as the blend so well. The pepper really comes out on the skin. The whole thing develops a sense of unfolding teeth and claws. Mmmm…. Tonka and neroli. This is so rich and complex and exciting. This is the growl in the back of a sexy man’s throat, promising danger and excitement. Dry: Clovey musk mostly, with a little of the other elements lingering. This really is right on the edge of musks I can wear, as if the clove is clinging to it’s arm, trying to pull it back. Spicy and sexy.

[loverstreet]

Wet: HELLO black pepper! A little black pepper demon dancing around with black CLOVEn hooves.

 

Dry: He's now cloaked in a swirling robe of tonka with a hood of opoponax. Whew! watch him dance all over that neroli.

 

Love it. Very spicey and dark. I'm ready to go to that club that Kie$ha sings about!

[Dark Alice]

This is amazing!!!! The black musk is sweetened by the neroli and the tonka. While wet....I actually thought there was some red musk in this. Dry, the black pepper kicks in to tickle my nose but the tonka keeps it slightly sweet and grounded. I love this! This will be a bottle in my next order.

[komakat]

This is the growl in the back of a sexy man’s throat, promising danger and excitement.

 

You hit the nail right on the head.

 

Hellooo tall dark and scary. This was exactly what I was expecting, and exactly what I was looking for. Something spicy, peppery, and ominous.

 

In the imp... I have no idea what I smell, but I know it makes me want to do naughty things.

 

Wet on: My man actually said... and I quote... "It doesn't suck." This coming from the creature that has turned his nose up or made icky faces at all of my other bpal. Must be the black pepper. He's a sucker for black pepper, and this wet... is super peppery.

 

Dry: Again, no one note sticks out to me. Strange. Usually I can identify something. This? Not so much. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. This is the imp (and soon bottle) that will take an army to pry out of my cold dead hands.

[Blood onmy hands]

This smells like woodsmoke, black musk, spicy black pepper, and hints of sour pine, sour orange, and cloying opoponax on my skin. It starts off very smoky and dries down to slightly less smoky and a lot more cheap-musky. The Siberian musk smells a lot like black musk, which I hate (cheap, dark, musky men's cologne = blech).

 

I just don't really like anything about this scent. Everything about it is just "too much" for me (too smoky, too sharp, too musky, the orange/neroli is too sour, the opoponax too sweet). It's a mess on me and the overall impression is just of cheap men's cologne that has been way overapplied (and I only put on a tiny dab of the oil, and it's crazy-strong on me). I feel like I'd hate the guy who would be wearing this, which makes me wonder if it's reminding me of some of the guys I used to know :/.

 

I put a little swipe of this on my husband to see if it was better on him, but I made him wash it off after about a half hour. I just can't handle this scent. It smelled like sharp woodsmoke and cheap, dark, sharp musk. After a while it reminded me a little of the musk in Satyr, but I like Satyr and this was like Satyr + sharp smoke and sour notes.

 

This imp is headed straight to my swap pile. I can't stand this one.

[crebbsgirl]

Musk with a clove and pepper kick. This smells a little incensey, a little woodsy, and a little spicy, all rolled into one. It's yum.

[tajana]

Just a mini review, as I tested this lightly at an MnS.

 

The opoponax leaped up at me right from the bottle! What a fabulous note... a rich, thick resinous scent, sweet and just faintly reminiscent of conifers. It settles onto the skin as a musky unisex perfume. I was worried that Siberian musk would be close to black musk, a nemesis of mine, but if it is, its held in check by everything else. Neroli adds elegance and a bit of bright contrast, tonka stays mild-mannered and well-behaved, subtly smoothing the edges with a sweet creaminess. Woody clove with nose-tickling pepper add a husky kick of spice. It all adds up to one warm but shadowy, growly but enticing fragrance.

 

I'd have to try it again to be sure, but its potentially bottle worthy.

[occurs]

HOLY GRAIL! this is exactly what i have been seeking, i have worn it for the last three days, i am so happy i just got the big bottle based on description. SEXY, scary, spicy, yet beautiful and it grabs the attention of all around!

 

I went to a club, a rare thing for me to do, and men and women were coming up to me to tell me i smelled amazing, and when they asked what i was wearing they all got scared away/ uncomfortable, ahaha which is what i wanted anyway.

 

It is so strong and wears 24 hours, i smell it on me in the morning every time i wear it! the distance of the throw is 3-6 feet!

 

When i first open the bottle it smells a little like a better then normal dr.peppper, but on, it is just a sexy unique deep Burgundy sensual perfume, it is not desperate, it is loud and not for the faint at heart!

[mxtine]

<snip>Love it. Very spicey and dark. I'm ready to go to that club that Kie$ha sings about!

where there's glitter on the floor?

 

Yesssss. This is an awesomely sexy, dark, incense-y, spicy, DELICIOUS blend. I'm loving the black pepper and neroli, which make this scent so special. Definitely going on my next hoard bottles order.

[edenssixthday]

Old Demons of the First Class - I wanted to try this for the Siberian musk, which is one of the best single notes I've ever encountered. However, black pepper and neroli completely destroy this scent for me. It is a darkly musky scent, sexy in a dangerous kind of way, and the clove isn't overpowering at all as it can so often be on me, but oh, that black pepper and neroli are just awful. Both are on my "notes I dislike" list, and if this is any evidence, they're going to be staying there.

[lookingglass]

I bought this GC scent in a 5 ml unsniffed because I just knew...and I was so right...

 

Out of the bottle, I immediately thought of one of my all time favorite fragrances, Serge Lutens' Fumarie Turque. Mmmm! I am supprised there is no tobacco in here because it is rich, dark, and sweet like decadent pipe tobacco, almost a single note in its denseness. The complex peppery spices and musk open with a squirt of bitter neroli (a note I am not particularly fond of but find curiously welcomed here). The lift is reminicent of breaking open an exotic twig emitting a tangy resin, not at all sunny. The tonka and sweet opoponax immediately add a rich, sensuous chewiness.

 

I insist that my man slather this all over his chest hair immediately! Ah...there...it is even better on him...

 

This is the kind of scent that feels like snuggling up on a bear skin rug in a leather lined library with a crackling fire...don't wake me unless moments of passion are promised...(goes back to insatiable sniffing...)

Edited October 1, 2010 by lookingglass

[plainjean]

First off, yay! Finally a dark blend WITHOUT vetiver! Anyway.

 

This is spectacular. Spicy and warm, a little musky, a tiny bit sweet, resinous, way sexy and kind of scary..everything is completely balanced and so perfect. Overall, it's masculine, but not so masculine that a woman couldn't wear it. I know I'm going to wear it! In fact, a 5 ml might find its way into my next lab order.

[Iceblink]

Dark, spicy musk--the pepper is really prominent here. It's sweetened by the tonka and opoponax but that pepper really gives this blend a kick. I don't think it's really *me*, but it's good stuff, and probably will age fantastically. Would smell great on a guy, too.

[patina]

Ooh, that's some smooth musk. The pepper and clove definately have a kick to them, but what surprised me is the sweetness of the scent. The neroli is powerful and citrusy. The tonka is very helpful in smoothing things down, though occasionally a bit of pepper will kick it out of the way.

 

If the scent had a color scheme, it would be yellow, orange, and black, with a hint of clove-brown.

 

Smooth and sweet, with sharp claws and teeth.

[zmulls]

Much too strong out of the bottle. Kicks and screams and claws at you.

 

But after 15 minutes, it dies down to a good sharp scent with lurking sweetness. An elegant troll-like scent.

 

And still further in, the sweetness damps down and it lingers as a good dry thistly musk, without unnecessary pleasantness.

 

I like it. Impworthy.

[hkhm]

imp: spicy musk.

 

wet: this is rich, sweet, smooth, spicy musk.

 

dry: this is an incredible musk scent, perfectly strong and smooth.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: Warm tonka, dark black and blue musk, clove, and a bit of black pepper.

drydown: oppoponax and neroli come out more and the tonka gets sweeter (tonka loves me)

 

It's a much sweeter cuddlier scent than I expected!

[zankoku_zen]

Wood, clove, pepper and musk. This is like opening an old spice chest. It just hits you with the spices and the wood. Sort of how you imagine a pirate ship or a ship that is back from spice trading smells like. I have to say that it has an 'edge' to it - the sort of 'you don't want to mess with me' vibe going on.

 

Dark, spicy, mysterious.

[Helas]

In the bottle, this is very faint and almost odourless.

 

On my skin, my first thought was: evil Dr. Pepper! I believe it is the combination of the vanilla-like tonka with the spices that gives me the impression of a particularly wicked can of soda.

 

Fortunately, the tonka and spices mellow down as they dry and the musk and woody note come to the forefront. At this point, I get smell-induced memories of sitting around the campfire at summer camp. The tonka, opoponax, and clove mimic with an eerie accuracy the sweet, spicy scent of burning wood and of those little grey flecks of ash that the wind blows in your face when you sit close to the fire pit. The pepper is the only thing that doesn't fit in with the familiar picture. The end result isn't a nice, tame campfire, but a wild midsummer night bonfire spiced with a handful of black magic and a lot of mischief.

 

Beautiful and unlike anything in the mainstream perfume industry. Four out of five stars.

[ljaylh]

This starts off with a bang - the musk, clove and pepper are very much up front when I first apply the oil. In the imp, it's a lovely rich brown colour, which is always a good sign when musk is involved

 

After letting it dry down for 10 minutes, I find that it's softened up nicely and those strong notes have mellowed out a lot. The musk and clove together form a base that's richly sweet rather than scary dark, and the pepper has subsided nicely. The tonka and neroli have added some lightness to the scent, and the opoponax provides a sweet resinous vibe, so the whole thing ends up having some nice layers to it.

 

Often I find the GCs lack the complexity of some LE blends, but that is definitely not the case with Old Demons of the First Class. On my skin, it retains its multi-layered complexity for quite some time - the darker notes don't lose their richness and the opoponax/tonka/neroli never go too far into the light. The pepper stays on top, slightly tickling my nose but not in a way that's overwhelming. Overall, everything is beautifully balanced and smooth.

 

This is definitely one to try if you enjoy deep musky blends like Panther Moon and WILF - it's a very classy blend with a touch of intrigue

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: musk & incense, like the inside of most pagan shops, with perhaps a hint of pepper. this is very strong in the bottle and I'm not exactly convinced that I'll like it. it's masculine and a bit biting, dull knives cutting something. methodical(?).

 

On my skin: almost like pine tress (certainly the same strength and masculinity). mostly it's just musk, musk, and more musk. I don't like musk on my skin, I never have; it just seems too strong, like the person you walk by and think "gross, don't bathe in your perfume lady!" later, it's almost like leather. very harsh and unfriendly.

 

Last thoughts: not a fan. too strong for words, and it doesn't smell pleasant or sweet or even particularly friendly. not an inviting scent. just musky, to the last drop.

[Monday]

Beautiful brown oil. In the imp it's a rather subdued peppery somewhat menthol like scent.

On my skin wet: The pepper explodes it's almost too much.

On drydown the musk and resins make themselves known, it becomes a sweet sinus-clearing resin scent, I don't get clove out of this. If you don't like pepper steer clear of this one.

This is a very complex scent it smells pretty much like the color the oil has in the imp only with added pepper. I like it for it's complexity and it's unusualness.

[Diva Urd]

In the imp: I received an empty of this, but there was just a bit left on the wand for both the husband and me. On there, I get peppery and slightly musky clove.

 

On: Ohgod this is GOOOOOOOOD~ <3 The clove loses its edge along with the biggest whiff of pepper, and the musk becomes stronger on me. On the husband, the musk doesn't show quite as strongly, but the clove also softens in the most becoming manner. Can't stop sniffing him - or myself!

 

Later: On me mostly musk with a hint of clove, on the husband exactly the other way around. It's merely okay on me, but on HIM, it's delicious! Will definitely have to get at least a full imp for him.

[Ella LaRose]

my husband and friend said it smelled like wd40! lololol!

[surf-tormented]

This really smells like dead on patchouli on me, though patchouli isn't a note listed here.

 

It reminds me a lot of Thanatos. Or Mircalla. Well, any patchouli based BPAL I have ever tried . They come off lifeless on my skin...which I should probably guess from names like Thanatos and Mircalla, not such lively types, ever all!

 

As it dries, it is even more SN Patchouli with a tiny whisper of smoke and clove, a little bit like Goth Rosary's Nocturnal, but I like that scent much better. Given a little bit of time, I do get a "resiny Dr. Pepper" scent that others have gotten, with the hopes the neroli and pepper will come out to play. But alas no.

 

Overall, this is very flat to me. It feels like all middle notes. It doesn't have much throw and doesn't last long. It reminds me of perfumes I already have and having about 3 bottles of about the same scent doesn't make me want to order a bottle.

 

If someone told me this was a patchouli single note and put it on my wrist, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. It's got a hippie head store feel and doesn't really speak to me at all. It doesn't morph either. It's disappointing because I love the concept of the perfume and the name.