Reviews of 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.

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.

Much too much going on for me. As mentioned in my Montale Oeillet review, it feels like the Emperor in Amadeus to say that - but my nose has no idea what direction to run in when Greyland is around. And it stays and stays and develops and develops for ever. Dizzying, really. It is also one of the few frags in my collection to have never garnered any notice, query or compliment from anyone (and it is strong enough for a dead dog to notice).

Incense and cedar woods. It's like Vetiver 46 and Rochas Lui got married. All this is on me is cedar and incense. Nothing much develops. I really liked it in the opening but it just fades, nothing else. And it fades fast. An alright scent.

Greyland: Opening is quite promising. but, thats pretty much it. it is sort of a very ultra light version of SL Gris clair. i smell fumes emanating from a burnt wood from distant. Anyways. greyland has a very nice dry ash based incense with hints of green notes(which reminds me of Let me play the lion quite a bit). One has to be pleased with its close to skin nature with occasional whiffs..liberal sprays should solve this or else. a nice one, it might grow on me. a try before you buy types...

Greyland opens with a strong spice / wood accord that I find very impressive. Distinct spice notes of pepper, cardamom, and cumin join a rich and smooth wood / incense accord for as memorable an opening as I’ve experienced in months. The cumin doesn’t stand out to me, nor do I think it animalic. The cedar and the incense chime in with a very solid smoky / aromatic contribution helped by the leathery cistus, which also imparts a subtle sweetness to the package. The accords are strong and deep and, I find, a bit linear. The development of the fragrance seems to limit itself to simply quieting and dulling down—losing the spices one by one to dry down to a lighter, sweeter wood accord. I don’t get an aquatic note such as Griff mentions — I wish I did. I get a light accord that is woody and incensy and nice, but it seems too much of a letdown after the superlative opening. The disappointment continues when the longevity of the scent is considered. I’ve found the lasting power to be very unsatisfactory. All that’s left after an hour is the mild, hugging-the-skin wood and incense dry down, and even that is gone in another hour or two. I am afraid that I expect more than three hours from a scent like this. Others, apparently, find Greyland to be longer lasting, so it must be a particular reaction to my skin. Regardless, I don’t feel I can vote it a thumb’s up. 271

Greyland has an arresting opening of lavender, sharp cedar, leather, and spices, including cardamom, black pepper, and cumin. It’s aggressively masculine, but also civilized and remarkably well balanced. The heart is still leather, cedar, and spice, joined by labdanum and dark incense. There’s nothing floral and nothing sweet about it. In this it reminds me of Yatagan, but without the astringency of artemisia or the animal reek of castoreum. The much-discussed cumin is not intrusive to my nose. It just lends a warm, toasty aspect to what might otherwise have been a very severe scent.

Greyland dries down very quickly to a crisp woody base, then disappears after two or three hours. I think I might like it if it hung around a little longer. As it is, it’s just OK. and just OK is not enough at these prices.

One of the manliest scents I've ever smelled, Greyland starts with a strong opening of cumin, cedar, and leather. The cumin is very pronounced in the first phase of this scent, and at times is so pungent it reminds me of a Pakistani cab stand at shift change: full of hairy, sweaty men eating hot, spicy food.

There is a dry, stone-like quality to Greyland that is distantly related to the mossy, somber crypt walls of Passage d'Infer and a leather that, if you look for it, jumps out from the roar and can take the stage just as powerfully as the cumin. Powerfully long lasting (on me; there seems to be quite a variety of opinion on longevity), Greyland even survived a scrub-off with passionfruit scented soap.

I love men's scents but this one is way too Man for me. This is a true he-man scent: wood, spice, lots of leather, and good old sweaty cumin. You better be able to own this one if you wear it: not for the meek.

I like the sweet, spicy, cedary opening, and I smell shades of pine needles too. Maybe the woodsy cedar, sweet sandalwood, and herbal. . . herbs creates that effect? I'm reminded a lot of Eau des Iles, and even a little of Dzongkha.

I also get the cumin. The good news is I find it far subtler than the cumin in Eau d'Hermes or Kingdom. The bad news is I don't feel it's integrated well into the overall fragrance creating a jarring sense of "Huh, what's that?"

I'd give Greyland a thumbs up but the longevity is more like shortevity, and I'm not a fan of fragrances that wear as close to the skin (after the first half hour or so) as this one does.

Greyland smells "perfumey". Nothing else. I think most Montales have a certain "perfuminess" to them and I had to grow accustomed to some of my favourites, but in Greyland there's nothing to grow accustomed to. It starts out with an interesting smokiness but after that has faded it's just synthetic, sweet, and slightly perfumey-sharp and cool. I'm sorry, but I can't be more specific than that or pick out a single note.

Off to a heady start with a sharp and fresh woodsy note, but grinds to a sticky sweet halt in about ten minutes. Could have been a winner if not for the drydown.

On the one hand, this is pretty good stuff. On the other hand, it is very hard to distinguish between this scent and Comme de Garcons 2 Man. The latter is far cheaper and is much easier to maintain. I have yet to put on a white lab coat and study these side by side, but trust me they are a lot a like.