Angel of Death

[mystery213]

Aged frankincense and white sandalwood gilded by a richly spiced agarwood.

Wow, this is beautiful! I was a little worried about the frankincense, which has a tendency to completely overamp on me,but I actually can hardly smell it. What I do get for frankincense is warm, aged and sweet, not sharp like fresh frankincense has the tendency to be. The predominant note in this blend seems to be the sandalwood, and this is pretty much the exact same sandalwood note as MB:Underpants. In fact the scents are very similar- this is almost like a cross between Underpants, and Liz from the Hellboy series. I also get a deep rich vanilla soaked leather playing among the woods. Which is funny, because leather and vanilla are not actually listed as notes, so I am wondering if the spiced agarwood is translating to leather to my nose. Overall, this is a unique, unisex woodsy scent, with a touch of sweetness and spice lingering nearby. This one will be a winner.

[Mellifluous]

Definitely agree with the Liz aspect Mystery mentions. There really is a hint of leather here, or at least it smells of it. I dont quite get underpants levels of sweetness, but it is sweet in that aged resinous frankincense kind of way. The sandalwood is definitely present, and amazingly it is not migraine-inducing (as is usually the case with 'white' sandalwood)!

The scent this most reminds me of is a drier, less sweet/rich CC: Female. I do rather like this, but it isn't a holy grail scent for me. Thankfully an imp will probably suffice just fine.

[Balame]

Quite nice, and it figures. All the other plagues either bombed big time or underwhelmed me, but the super rare one I'll never get more of I like.

 

The frank and agarwood mix to give this an almost grape-y incense feel. It reminds me of Philosopher in Meditation at first, but not as heavy. It's got the same rich, sweet frank as Herodotus' Phoenix; something you can sink your teeth/nose into. Very incense heavy, leaning toward the sugary sweet side, but stops short before getting foody. I actually think Relics of Herself is the closest approximation I can come up with, since as it dries it gets softer.

 

A pretty blend, but thankfully not one I'm going to pine over. This is very similar to other incense blends I like more, that are easier to get. If you love frank then you'll enjoy this, but it really doesn't differentiate itself from others in the incense family to warrant obsessive hording.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Balame

[bheansidhe]

This has a solemn, still, cathedral-ish incense vibe.

 

The first wash of resins has a bitter tinge to the edges, which seems appropriate. But the bitterness softens into a dry, woodsy finish over the rich and nutty frankincense. The sandalwood lends a woody sweetness, but never tips over into powder territory.

 

This is gorgeous and subtle and has to be worn to be appreciated, as the notes list is deceptively simple. But if you miss out, there are many stellar incense blends in the Lab arsenal.

Edited April 25, 2015 by bheansidhe

[savage_rose]

Scents like this give me hope for incense blends. So many go to powder on me, but this one had more depth to it--maybe I'm not aging them enough? It didn't last as long as I would have liked, but while it was present it was really light and pretty and contemplative.

[Dark Alice]

Definite Catholic Incense vibe. Contemplative and boring. So glad I got a chance to try this...and realize I don't need more.

[zankoku_zen]

Aged resinous blend. I get a bit of wood on the drydown, and something that almost smells like brown leather about an hour in. Soft, masculine, and very compelling.

[Magycmyste]

Well, I only really have a sniffie of this, so I'm not going to skin test it. I will say the sniffie makes me want to find an imp, though. It smells divine!

[lady_pandora]

Dammit, the last thing I needed was to fall in love with Angel of Death! But this is beautiful. My Plagues decanter was kind enough to include a sniffie of this, and with creative use of a toothpick, I was able to get enough for a skin test (and hopefully can eke one more wear out too).

 

For the first hour or so, I get a beautiful golden incense scent in the throw, while the skin scent is wood and something chemical-y, like a furniture polish. But when it's fully dry and settled, all is amazing, all is perfect. It reminds me of what I think is the lab's ambergris note (though I can't say I'm vastly familiar with it) layered over rich wood. Gender neutral. Strange but compelling.

[VetchVesper]

Thank you Joyleaf, for including a frimp of this hard to find goody.

 

I'm getting lots of Australian sandalwood from this, the same as the SN that recently came out. I'm also getting lot's of frankincense, the kind that goes baby powder on me. Evil baby powder. Perhaps appropriate in a sick and twisted way? I dunno. Not for me, but probably would be a win for Australian sandalwood lovers.