Azathoth

[lizabelle]

Azathoth is the blind, idiot god who sits on a black throne at the center of Chaos. His scent is high-pitched and screeching, both impenetrably dark and searingly bright with the clarity of madness: tangerine, saffron, vetiver, black amber and cedarwood.

 

This is dark, dark burnt incense. Not burning--this is the ashes. I get the burnt tone of vetiver I've smelled in lots of BPALs, with some extra smoke in the background that smells like a bonfire/controlled burn on a cold day. It's stark and reminiscent of the opening of Djinn. Eventually the cedar comes in and makes it slightly warmer and softer, and the amber develops even slower. This is not a powdery or sweet amber, and just serves to make the whole thing even darker and gooey. Together they almost smell piney at a distance, and the whole thing continues to smell like aromatic woods being burned. Surprisingly nice!

[achildoftime]

I've been going back and forth about how I feel about this one. It does smell distinctly charred. It feels like bundles of dry grasses were burned and is now haunted by the ghost of citrus. I wish I could describe it better than that. I just can't, because the vague suggestion of some kind of citrus fruit hovers through the scent. It doesn't have the bite or zing I usually associate with citrus, but that's definitely what it is. I know it's listed as tangerine, but it really could be any of the sweeter citrus fruits. Have I said citrus enough?

 

Anyway, the main note that really defines itself on me is the vetiver hands down. It burns the amber and the cedar till the whole thing resembles burnt woods with the aforementioned tangerine ghost. It's not bad to me, just not what I was hoping for. I like burnt, smoky scents but there is a strangeness with this one on me that I can't completely pin down.

 

I asked my husband to sniff because I think it does lean a little masculine. He thought it smelled like a hotel hallway. He says it's not like cleaning fluid or anything so I'm not sure where the connection is being made, but he swears up and down that's all he can think of. Take from that what you will.

[sarandipitee]

mmmm, cola sweet resins and a touch vetiver and some cedarwood (thankfully as cedar is usually pencil shavings on me). The tangerine is so subtle, that the cola note I find some resins to be could almost be orange crush.

 

BOTTLE ME UP SCOTTY. Guh, this is awesome, as long as the damn cedar behaves, which it SO FAR seems to be doing but that cedar is an asshole. Can't trust him.

[Joyleaf_]

This was a frimp from a Post purchase. And man am I happy they sent it. Its dairly masculine on me, and the vetiver sings on my skin. I love love vetiver and it usually does nice things for me, and this is no different than usual. The tangerine, which was a worrisome factor, is completely quiet and soft. Well blended and yummy, I love it. GC scents for the win.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Cedar and tangerine are the most prominent notes, followed by the saffron and black amber. I'm surprised that I'm not getting lots of vetiver from the imp, since it is usually so strong!

 

Wet: The black amber note is the first to emerge, followed by the tangerine and smoky vetiver. Then, the cedar and saffron join in. The cedar, amber, and vetiver are now the strongest notes.

 

Dry: This actually stays really close to the skin. The black amber reigns, warmed by a bit of cedar, and backed by the tangerine note, which hasn't burnt off yet, and some saffron. The vetiver note is really light now, surprisingly, and just adds a bit of smokiness.

 

Verdict: This one is okay. I was worried about the vetiver and cedar, but they didn't end up being problematic here. It's not something that I think I need more of, but I'm glad I was able to try it.

[Lucchesa]

Azathoth is black, charred vetiver on me and lots of it. Then the cedar comes out to meet it, and it's a forest fire. (I say that like it's a bad thing, but it's not, necessarily.) Then I can make out the saffron, but it's all very, very dry. I put this on last night about an hour before bedtime, and then thought that it was one of those vetiver scents that needed at least two hours to develop into something gorgeous, so I stayed up another hour, but it never quite got there on me.

 

What this scent needs is something juicy and sweet, something like, oh, tangerine. That would be perfect. But I'm getting no citrus here at all. This was a swap frimp, so I have no idea how old it is. It's possible a lab-fresh imp would have a lot more tangerine on board. I may keep this around for days when "forest fire" matches my mood, but I suspect one imp will last me years.

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Sweet citrus clouded and shadowed by something smoky, with a subtle wood note in the background.

 

On my skin:

 

As it's drying, tangerine struggles to be the base note while the vetiver, black amber, and cedar all vie to become most prominent. I can't pick out the saffron note at all. Soon my skin eats up the tangerine (as it tends to do with orange citrus notes), and I'm left with cedar and vetiver. The result is a dry, woodsy, smoky scent, much like a cedar log freshly sat on a campfire. It's an interesting concept, but without a stronger brighter base note, it's not something I'm likely to want to wear as perfume.

 

Fairly low throw, which in this case is more good than bad.

 

Edit: After a few hours, the scent becomes more woods and less smoke, which improves what I'd like from it. However, as there are other woodsy scents I prefer to this one, it's still probably not one I'll keep using.

Edited October 14, 2018 by Tori

[RedPersimmon]

Cola-vetiver with smoky cedar. Kind of like Server Gremlins. Drydown smells like Black pepper and vanilla. Black amber, is that you?

[spookyumbrella]

Pure vetiver and cedar - extremely masculine. 

Not much else to say because that's all I get out of it.

[Ghost of a Rose]

In this review, I am testing and comparing two different frimps from the Lab.  One is aged about 6 years.  The other is a fresh frimp from the Lab, that I received just a few days ago.

 

In the imp:. The fresh oil is a clear golden amber color.  The aged one is also clear, but much darker; a deep brown-amber.

- Aged: Before mixing, I could smell vetiver and saffron strongly, with a backdrop of wood.  After rolling the imp to mix the oil, it is 100% cedar.

- Fresh: Wow, this is a totally different perfume!  Tangerine and cedar, which go very well together.  And I like that this is very clearly tangerine, not just plain old orange.  But something in here is super sweet, much too sweet for my taste.

 - Later ETA:  I found another imp of this.  I received it recently, but don't remember if it is a fresh frimp from the Lab or a possibly aged one from a forumite.  I only sniffed the imp.  No tangerine, so it's probably aged.  But there is a strong whiff of cat pee., pee-yoo!  It may be past its "expiration date."  But I know that it could smell differently on me, or change over time. So I put it in the duplicates box.

How interesting that all three imps smell completely different.  It goes to show how much perfumes can change over time, and/or from different batches.

 

On me, wet: 

- Aged (left wrist): Mostly cedar, but there is an accent of something bright, almost tangy.  But definitely NOT tangerine. It's kind of chemical-ish.

- Fresh (right wrist):. Tangerine, with saffron - ah, that's what I was smelling in the aged oil.  It just wasn't as defined there.

 

At 5 minutes:

- Aged: All cedar.

- Fresh: Still mostly tangerine and saffron.  And smoky - that's the vetiver, of course.  And things I can't identify, which is strange since I know all the listed notes. It IS a strange scent, like nothing else I've ever smelled.  Nice, though.  Sweet, but not too sweet.

 

At 10 minutes:

- Aged:  For a little while I smelled something else, too. Something slightly sweet.  I couldn't identify it, but it was lovely.  But it's gone now.  Back to all cedar.

- Fresh: Same as at 5 minutes.

 

At 20 minutes:

- Aged: Pretty much still all cedar, but there's a subtle undertone to it now.

- Fresh: The tangerine is fading, lighter and less realistic, but still citrusy. The cedar has appeared, and together with the saffron, is the main event now.  The two notes blend together beautifully.  There's still some smoke in the background.  It is no longer so sweet, or mysterious.  But still lovely.

 

At 30 minutes:

- Aged:  Still mostly cedar, but it is a gentler cedar.  A fine old cedar chest rather than fresh pencil shavings. With touches of smoke and amber to warm it up.  I liked it before, but like it a lot now. It is more nuanced, as well as being gentler and warmer.

- Fresh: This is becoming much more similar to the aged version.  But it is still slightly sweeter, and there is still a faint hint of citrus. And the cedar is a little fresher, sharper.

 

At 45 minutes:  

- Aged:. Same as at 30 minutes:  A gentle, aged cedar with touches of smoke and amber to warm it up.

- Fresh: The tangerine is completely gone now.  The cedar is a little sharper and smokier than the aged version and the scent is slightly stronger.  Otherwise they are much the same.

 

At 1 hour:

- Aged:  Gentle aged cedar with a little smoke.

- Fresh:  Freshly-cut cedar with more smoke.  

 

At 2 hours:

- Aged:  Except for the lovely addition of a little powdery amber, no further change.

- Fresh: The cedar note has mellowed, and no longer smells fresh-cut.  But it is still slightly sharper than the rich aged cedar of the older version.  There is some powdery amber here, too.  It is a little stronger in the fresh perfume, but here it is also masked to some extent by the sharper cedar.

 

At 3 hours:  Azathoth has surprised me.  I expected the two versions to keep getting more alike, until they were identical. Instead, the difference has become more marked than it was an hour ago, probably because the aged cedar note has lost a lot more strength than the fresh one has.

- Aged:  The amber is now equal to the cedar, maybe even a little stronger. There's just a breath of smoke left, like a memory.  The scent on this wrist is prettier than ever!

- Fresh:  The cedar-y sharpness now seems strident, compared to the aged one.  It continues to overwhelm the amber. The vetiver smokiness is also stronger than in the aged version, but not nearly as strong as the cedar.

 

The fragrance lasted many more hours on my skin, but with no further change, just a slow fade.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Predominant Notes:

- Aged: Cedar

- Fresh: Cedar, tangerine 

 

Character: 

- Aged:  Woody, smoky, warm.  Unisex leaning towards masculine.

- Fresh:  Fruity and unique at first, then warm, woody and smoky.  Unisex.

 

4 out of 6 stars. This isn't really me - I'm more of a girly-girl.  But I do like it a lot. I like that it has no men-'s-aftershave vibe, and will enjoy it as a variation from my usual florals.

 

Comparison:

For the first twenty minutes, I like the fresh one best.  I love the unusual authenticity of the tangerine note, especially when wet.  And even after drying, the brightness that note gives, goes so well with the saffron and cedar, and helps restrain the fragrance from veering from unisex into masculine.  And the very unusual and mysterious scent that occurs at five minutes is fascinating.  The overall fragrance is much more nuanced and interesting than the almost single-note scent of the aged oil during this time.

 

From 30 minutes on (once the tangerine note has burned off),  I prefer the aged version.  It is smoother, gentler, richer, more blended and polished.  It is a subtle difference for a while. But in late drydown, I much prefer the aged.  It allows the amber to come out clearly, and has none of the sharpness of the fresh cedar note.

 

The tangerine note was completely lost from the aged oil.  Which is just what one would expect.  Citrus notes don't have a long life expectancy in perfumes, either on the skin, or over time in the bottle.  The cedar note improved with age, losing the sharpness while retaining its identity. The vetiver changed very little in character, but lost some strength, mellowing over time. (Which many people consider an improvement.  I like it both ways.) The amber also lost a bit of strength but was otherwise unchanged.  I couldn't tell if the saffron note changed, since it was not a very distinct presence in the blend.

Edited January 3, 2019 by Ghost of a Rose

[boomtownrat]

Amber of any kind is one of my favourite smells, I love vetiver (maybe it's my earthy Taurus nature), I love cedarwood and saffron even more, and tangerine is delicious yet all too fleeting on my skin. I can't believe I never sought this one out on my own, but I'm glad that a friend gave me the imp. It reminds me: I'm pretty sure I've got another imp of Azathoth somewhere. I can see myself using up the imps I have.

 

Crazily, Azathoth gives me a whiff of bubble gum, of all things, when I first apply it. I'm sure that's got something to do with the tangerine and saffron. That doesn't last, but what follows is a rooty, earthy, woodsy scent that makes me feel both comfortable and strong. It wears pretty close to the skin. As long as I don't apply it heavily, I don't think its earthiness will bother anyone. It's probably going to work best when I'm fresh out of the shower and it's not a hot, humid day. Otherwise, I might feel a bit grimy. Layering it with something like a dry vanilla or another citrus blend would probably be lovely.

 

My Lovecraft knowledge is limited to what my Cthulhu-obsessed husband tells me, so I didn't have anything swaying my impression of it beforehand. So far, the darker and earthier Arkham scents work well for me.

[warriortwo]

We have an herb shop called Lhasa Karnak here in Berkeley and this smells like being there. For me it's a comforting, welcoming scent. Cedar usually overpowers for me, but in this it's a soft scent that brings to mind the wood shelves in the old houses that I spent my summers in, with various hippie relatives out in the woods. Shelves overflowing with books and knick knacks obtained from world travels. I used to want to live in a house like that. I will keep this to remind me.

[Llanval]

Picked up this imp in my big Dec 2020 order and I've gone back and forth on this one. I really enjoy it, but the cedarwood and vetiver tag team in this bottle and on my skin, to the detriment of every other note.  I do really enjoy the almost burnt, smoky vibe to this wood blend, but I get minuscule amounts of tangerine and saffron.  If anything, those two notes lift the scent out of the echoing black of the cedarwood and vetiver to lighten the edges with the suggestion of something lighter, sweeter and more natural. Azathoth is a dark library full of towering bookshelves and otherworldly wafting scents - a library run by a being extremely unlikely to be in possession of any appendages like hands to read all those books.

[skyturtles]

The first time I tested Azathoth all I got was the dryness and cedar, and as it dried, brimstone and smoke. As much as I joke about it, I'm not too keen on a trip to hell when it comes to what it smells like. I tried it out again a few days later, and got that initial tease of fruitiness that apparently is the tangerine, as others have noted. Unfortunately, it seems to go away rather quickly, letting the incense of cedar and smoke dominate. There is a bit of complexity, however, which may be the saffron or vertiver or black amber, I'm not sure. It's quite masculine, so I'm going to pass this along to the more masculine half of my partnership. I think I'll enjoy smelling it on them rather than myself.

Edited August 22, 2021 by skyturtles
spelling error

[biggnerd]

When first applied, this is charred wood and tangerine. I was not impressed and almost scrubbed it. The wood was acrid. I forgot about it while playing video games when I started to get whiffs of something wonderful. It mellowed into a warm saffron scent where the saffron behaves itself for once. The saffron melds with the black amber and vetiver to become a lightly spiced, slightly waxy resin. 

[starbrow]

I'm just here for a hit of vetiver, baby.

 

Out of the gate, lemony woods predominate Azathoth. I wouldn't have known specifically tangerine if I didn't look at the notes. The citrus is rather generically bright and pingy, combining with the grassiness of the vetiver to lean in a lemon direction. The familiar scratch of gritty vetiver is soon overwhelmed in a strong cloud of cedar, with its thickly woody warmth, and black amber adding a softness and depth to the resin. I don't get tons of saffron at this stage, but if I focus on it, there is indeed that spice I tend to enjoy, sunny and earthy both.

 

An hour or so later, my beloved vetiver emerges again. The cedar bomb has subsided, and the calm hypnosis of beautiful grassy vetiver takes over. It is a close throw but I catch delicious whiffs of it every so often and I'm happy. I think the saffron is giving it an extra happy twang, like Bard and Scherezade.

 

I might acquire a bottle of this eventually? There are other vetivers I like every stage of more (Bloodlust) but for GC vetiver in an easy-to-wear format, backed by some beautiful black amber and saffron, Azathoth is a surprising winner for me.

[alyelle]

2022 lab freebie.

 

In the imp: Tangerine, saffron, and cedar.

 

Wet: Saffron and tangerine top notes, a vetiver base (unmistakable in this blend, though vetiver does trick me on occasion), cedar and a slightly powdery amber as it starts to settle onto my skin.

 

Dry: Very little morph, and it fades quickly - I've tried it a few times and have forgotten I'm even wearing it by the end of the day. Mild throw, with no discernible scent after 6 hours.

 

Stars: ★★★½

[Cali]

SUPER strong smoky vetiver with a stcky sweet red fruit note. That's a scrubber-offer for me!! 

[ShadowEtienne]

I love a lot of Picnic in Arkham scents, and I was curious about this one for a long time, but too nervous to get my hands on it because vetiver and I usually don't get along, and black amber can be iffy on my skin. I was able to do a quick test of it on my skin at a sniff things party with local friends recently, and the vetiver didn't immediately hate me, so I was able to take home a spare imp from a friend to give it a more thorough test.

 

On my skin, the tangerine and saffron dominate. The tangerine is sharp and bright, and a little sour, with both the oils of the skin and the juice playing roles. The saffron is a delightful light spice that wafts over the tangerine.

 

The other three notes create a backing that is dominated by the cedarwood, my favorite of the three. The amber is present in this being a more resinous note, but not distinct. The vetiver brings a smokiness to the cedar, but is itself subsumed into the cedar. 

 

Overall, I'm glad to have the imp, and I'm going to be less reluctant to at least skin test vetiver in the future even if I know it often doesn't work for me. I'm not going to reach for Azathoth often, but the tangerine and saffron combo is awesome!

[Tungerine]

When I first tried Azathoth a few years ago, the tangerine and saffron were dominant and it was more citrus than anything else. Along with the vetiver, it was harsh unless I applied just a tiny drop, in which case it was a pleasant citrus scent which I liked enough to buy a full bottle. It wasn't really dark, not compared to a lot of other scents. But it was definitely "high-pitched and screeching" unless handled with care!

 

After losing the bottle for a couple of years, I found it again recently and while it's still recognisable as the same scent, it's changed a lot. It's more dark than bright now. It doesn't have that acidic tangerine note now, and I'm not sure I ever detected a black amber note; there's barely any sweetness to it. It's mainly burnt vetiver, cedar, and a touch of woody citrus which combine to smell like incense used in an evil ritual. I think it represents an insane, mindless god really well. It smells weird by ordinary perfume standards, but that's what I love about it (it's my second favourite scent after Old Demons of the First Class).

[GalliumSpider]

The citrus disappears on me almost immediately, and it smells sweeter than it does in the imp.  Sort of incensey and spicy.  Very nice.

[Jarek]

This one in the bottle and wet on me starts out kind of fruity and sweet with something smoky, and I'm not entirely sure what I think about it. But it's not bad, I'm just not sure I like the sweet-fruity scent mixed with the smoky one.

 

Dry on skin it's still got that but some of the wood/cedar is coming through, and I think I recognise the saffron from another perfume with it. I'm liking it more at this point. The cedar and saffron and smoky combo is like... herbal/spiced/woody sort of.

 

A few hours later and the fruity tangerine is quite faded, there's a lot more cedar, the smoky scent is kind of reduced too, saffron still there. It's very nice at this point. 

 

I think I like this one, not sure about a bottle yet but I'll be wearing it again and might decide to get one. Very much enjoying a lot of these Picnic at Arkham scents.

 

Edit: the smoky scent could be the vetiver but maybe could be part of the "black" amber?

 

On first drydown, the tangerine fades but not massively, but it becomes part of the overall blend instead of standing out way ahead and I quite like what the perfume has turned into.

 

Even when it's mostly gone there's still something a bit sweet about it, and it's nice, offset by the cedar and amber. I think I might get a bottle of this one.

Edited November 14 by Jarek