Greyland
by Montale

Montale certainly picks some odd names for fragrances: there is Sliver Aoud, which most people seem to misread a Silver Aoud; there is Chocolate Greedy, which doesn't quite sound right in English and to keep this list short, there is Greyland. The mental picture Greyland gives me is of a barren, parched land; or perhaps where the space aliens from Area 51 go on vacation. The name does not sell itself to me! Okay, but how is the fragrance? The opening hits with an intense spicy mix of black pepper, a cumin like accord, and elemi. Indeed, two reviewers note elemi and I think it is the most pronounced note in Greyland. The cumin goes away, the black pepper tones down, but the elemi lasts a good long while. I don't really get sandalwood or leather accords. I think it is an okay scent, a bit intense, but nothing I would wear. And I certainly wouldn't call it Greyland! I give it a neutral rating.

When I first tried this, a couple of years ago, I absolutely hated it and my perception of it certainly hasn't changed…

The first notes I’m met with are black pepper, spices and elemi, which overwhelm the composition for the first few minutes (there is also a citrus or cardamom accord in the opening but this is very fleeting). Once the initial notes subside, the woods (especially the cedar), incense and leather are allowed to emerge and bloom. Shortly afterwards, the incense and leather dominate the woods but, at some point, the tables are turned leaving nothing more than a faint woody musk.

Some reviews have mentioned sandalwood but I can hardly detect any during its development. As for the cumin, I can definitely smell this but it’s more of a supporting note to my nose (and therefore not too imposing or heavy). In addition, I can also sense a lavender accord that conjures shades of grey with each sniff (and also the possible source of inspiration for its name) – a Gris Clair light is a nice description of what Greyland could have been if it was done correctly. Its longevity is not one of its strongest points and its sillage is about average.

After more time spent with Greyland, it comes across as a scent that’s very masculine, dark and serious. However, it’s also quite morbid and flat. Everytime I smell it (especially during the drydown) it reminds me of all the things I don’t want to reminded of when living in a city – cloudy grey skies, pollution and urban decay, concrete landscapes, pylons and filthy underground / metro stations, emotional isolation and urban disenchantment… There’s a lack of warmth, colour and humanity in Greyland that would simply depress the heck out of me.

No, thanks!

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[Original submission date: 23 October 2008]

Greyland starts off with an intense blast of sharp cedar, spice (cumin, which when dabbed is much less prominent) and a touch of incense, before moving to a heart of incense, woods, black pepper, and something that is piney, resinous and slightly citrusy, with a faint indication of clove oil that seems to tie the resinous, incense and cedar together. This lasts forever on my skin, I was still getting whiffs of Greyland a good 10 hours after a light application. All in all this is a fairly linear scent, as other have mentioned it slowly becomes more faint with the sharp edges dropping off over time until only a slight musky, sloightly vanillic wood scent is left on the skin. This is a very masculine fragrance and one that needs to be worn several times to fully appreciate.

Wood notes: cedar, sandalwood, vetyver, kayak
Spice notes: ginger, black pepper
Base: Arabian leather, musk, Tibetan rock rose
These notes are from the Montale site. I note that oud is not mentioned, and I believe it – I don’t detect any here. This is a woody scent through and through. The opening is a bit sweet, but not challenging. Lovely cedar notes emerge – they are woody and not suggestive of pencil-shavings. Pepper spices accompany the wood. And that chord maintains itself for several hours. So, while I appreciate the woody notes, I don’t think this especially distinctive in the world of cedar scents. Nothing wrong with it at all; it just doesn’t bring something new to the table.

Woody, balsamic, peppery and smoky! This is a great scent, quite unisex. It does not create the same enveloping 'aura' like Montale's aoud scents do, but it fine nonetheless.

I like this. At first I smelled absolutely nothing, zip, zilch, nadda. Montale? Can't be! Then, in about 15 minutes, smoke, vetiver?, spice. Next a very, very subtle cumin note that barely hints at body odor, not offensive, rather interesting, then soft, sweet smoke, sandalwood. On me, this is not overly masculine at all. While I can see that it is intended as a masculine fragrance, body chemistry turns it sweet on me. Very nice. Not my favorite Montale, but I think 50 ml. worthy