01/31/2021
Drseid
819 Reviews
Drseid
Gothic, Yes, Angelic, No...
Gothic Angel opens with a very brief dash of near transparent grapefruit citrus and soft lavender, with underlying dark woody resinous frankincense before quickly moving to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart the dark woody frankincense intensifies into the star, with stark, near woody dry tobacco and gothic dull rose floral support early and slightly sweet amber folded into the mix late. During the late dry-down, the dark woody frankincense fades into the background, as the remnants of the amber turn slightly powdery, joining relatively dry sandalwood and slightly animalic musk through the finish. Projection is below average and longevity is somewhat deceptive, as the perfume can be smelled on skin for a good 8 hours, reemerging a couple hours later after its apparent disappearance for another two.
Angelo Orazio Pregoni has always captivated me with his ability to innovate, especially using his trademark combination of culinary herbs that others like Gardoni of Bogue have emulated over the years to great success. In the case of Gothic Angel, this perfume I am afraid lacks both innovation and most of the style that makes Pregoni's work so great. There really is none of the trademark herbal mix here, instead we get an annoying slightly peppery, dark woody frankincense that comes off smelling artificial, not entirely unlike the vague dry synthetic woody accords that are so common (and so terrible) found in perfumes du jour offerings on store shelves. That Gothic Angel goes about getting to the off-putting accord by a more natural route doesn't make it any more compelling. Only in the late relatively dry sandalwood and slightly powdery amber driven dry-down does the perfume start to smell decent, though still lacking any real distinctiveness or innovation one would expect from a talented nose like Pregoni. No, this one I am afraid comes off like it was "phoned in." I get plenty of "gothic," but there is nothing "angelic" about this dud. The bottom line is the 160 Euros per 50ml bottle Gothic Angel (also called Gothic Censored) is a disappointing "below average" 2 to 2.5 stars out of 5 rated outing from a perfumer that clearly has much more talent, earning a firm avoid recommendation. I recommend trying any number of the other far superior offerings from O'driu instead.
Angelo Orazio Pregoni has always captivated me with his ability to innovate, especially using his trademark combination of culinary herbs that others like Gardoni of Bogue have emulated over the years to great success. In the case of Gothic Angel, this perfume I am afraid lacks both innovation and most of the style that makes Pregoni's work so great. There really is none of the trademark herbal mix here, instead we get an annoying slightly peppery, dark woody frankincense that comes off smelling artificial, not entirely unlike the vague dry synthetic woody accords that are so common (and so terrible) found in perfumes du jour offerings on store shelves. That Gothic Angel goes about getting to the off-putting accord by a more natural route doesn't make it any more compelling. Only in the late relatively dry sandalwood and slightly powdery amber driven dry-down does the perfume start to smell decent, though still lacking any real distinctiveness or innovation one would expect from a talented nose like Pregoni. No, this one I am afraid comes off like it was "phoned in." I get plenty of "gothic," but there is nothing "angelic" about this dud. The bottom line is the 160 Euros per 50ml bottle Gothic Angel (also called Gothic Censored) is a disappointing "below average" 2 to 2.5 stars out of 5 rated outing from a perfumer that clearly has much more talent, earning a firm avoid recommendation. I recommend trying any number of the other far superior offerings from O'driu instead.
Holscentbar
Lioncourt
KimJong
