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.

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

very intense and right at u.associated with pepper. this is strong. i didnt wait for the complete drydown. just a scent i dont wanna smell like or be remembered by

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.

I`m so suprised there is 18 reviews to this one as I type, and only one has mentioned Gucci Pour Homme. WTF?

Generally I cannot quite follow the comparisions to other scents that people here has been related this to.
It`s okay, we have our own opinions and that is great, really.

But yes, I find this more similar to Gucci Pour Homme more than anything. Its somewhat very similar. The pepper, incense and ambery note is strikingly similar to the one of Gucci, not to mention how similar I find the leather note between the two. Also, the same kind of BO thing going on, but I don`t think its the cumin though. At least I don`t get any cumin from Greyland nor Gucci PH for that matter. IMHO that BO notes comes from dusty, ground peppers lingering together with some other notes like musk, dry ginger and leather.

Comparing to Gucci PH Greyland is a bit richer, longer lasting and not as smoky. They are close cousins nevertheless.

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

One of the few leather scents I could come to love. I'm not quite there yet; however, I'm still playing around with this (recently discontinued?) Montale.

Very animalic first hour or so, with the leather and the cumin duking it out like nobody's business.

After that, I have to admit that the drydown, while sophisticated, is a bit less than I'd hoped for. It's dry and smoky and masculine, yes, but I guess I had just expected the hairy chested testosterone therapy to continue after the first hour.

Interesting fragrance -- am curious now as to why Montale no longer blends it, or at least features it on the site.

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.

ZZ is right about the cumin, but whereas most cumin-heavy fragrances (Kingdom, SL Santal Blanc) send me running for cover, this one keeps me hanging around. The spices are balanced enough with woods and musks that it keeps is balanced and inviting. Unfortunately, it is hard to find and costs an arm and a leg, but it is definitely worth a try.

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.

Notes: Ingwer notes, pepper, elemi, cardamom, woods of teak, kayak, cedars, Aromatic Cystus Albidus from the coast of Southern France, grey musk, the finest sandalwood, leather

Greyland is a spicy woody fragrance to the extreme. Upon contact with skin, Greyland immediately releases a smelly cloud of woods, cedar, and cumin. Especially cumin. Greyland is cumin-ed out to the max. The overriding accord driving Greyland is a salty spicy woody smell with loads of cumin, which inturn makes it a bit "smelly". I kept waiting for the musk and sandalwood base to appear and tame this cumin-ized accord, but it never happened. Cumin won it all, and conquered Greyland. Longevity is average.

Greyland smells like "Jean Pascal by Jean Pascal" without all the citrus-lavender notes taken out and the salty spicy wood notes bumped up in concentration. I like Jean Pascal because of its great mix of spicy woody fresh and faintly animalic smell. Greyland on the other hand smells like the spicy-salty part of Jean Pascal...and feels overdone and unbalanced. Theres only so much cumin a person can take. Grab a bottle of Jean Pascal and drive past Greyland without stopping.

This is a very woody composition of cedar, sandalwood from Mysore, spices from Sri Lanka, on a sensual base of musk and benzoin. This one was love at first sniff for me and I bought a full can.

What does it smell like? When I first spray it on, I smell cumin and cedar (it has some spicy similarities to Diptyque’s L’autre). This is the smell of a hot construction worker sweating in the sun. Oh yes, this is the dreaded B.O. note that so many people loathe. Not me. This is my pheromone of choice. It’s a little like hairy armpits and maybe a little bit…like crotch. It’s sweaty and hot. I can feel my pulse quicken when I wear Greyland. The musk in this doesn’t enter the picture until the dry down and the scent becomes sweeter in the middle notes and base notes. I smell the sweet blond sandalwood that Montale loves to use in the base notes as well. There isn’t much development with this scent either. The spices start to drop out after about three hours and I am left with cedar and sandalwood and musk. Like I said, this scent is fantastic and makes me feel week in the knees. Sillage is great at first and then after the spices are gone, the scent stays close to the skin.

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.

This one is a long lasting scent on my skin. Had a sort of pine needles start to it, and it is definitely manly. Pine needles that mellowed out, and I can see the smokiness in it.

Sam

I like Greyland more and more each time I wear it. Similar in some ways to Gucci PH (I guess it's the cedar note), with a nice incense note, as well as a fairly noticeable cumin note that seems to make the muskiness more "sweaty" or "animalic." There are also some soft, distant floral notes, which lend complexity. Longevity is decent, but on me it wears close to the skin and doesn't last quite as long as I would expect an EdP to last. In terms of overall effect, somehow this also reminds me of a subtler and softer Villoresi Musk. I still like Villoresi better, as I think it has more development, but Greyland has gained some ground on it.

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.

Montale scents all share a particular sharp, pungent accord whose intial, sudden burst in the nose is always a pleasant, if startling, experience. Greyland's top notes-an intoxicating blend of sharp, resinous cedar, smokey incense and almost ethereal, very light citrus and cumin notes-make it one powerhouse of a frangrance. Unlike other cedar/incense fragrances in my collection, Greyland lasts all day (at least on my fair, dry skin). And it isn't one-dimensional. After the bracing top notes slowly settle and quiet down, the sharp cedar steps aside a bit to reveal a soft, surprising semi-sweet aquatic note. Astonishing.

I ordered a bottle which I received last week and am quickly working my way through it towards a second bottle.

A very heady brew of deep fresh cut wood shavings. Cedar for certain. The description on the Aedes website says there is sandalwood in there but to my nose the other woods overpower it. This fragerance is not for the faint of heart or if your looking for light ephemeral stuff that you may or may not catch a light whiff of during the day. To my nose this is knock your sox off manly. I seem to detect a basenote of ambergris as well that gives it a slight animalistic charicter as well. Quite complex with an almost inscensy headiness. Well worth sampling. I wouldnt get this scent blind though. Now that I have tried it I find it quite bottleable for myself though.