Krampus

[MCS4096]

Be good, or Krampus will toss you in a river! Sinister red musk, black leather, dusty rags, and wooden switches.

(2012)

This is dusty red musk and nothing else. I have found that red musk completely overwhelms pretty much everything on me unfortunately. I kept this for awhile, hoping age would bring out the leather, but it hasnt. If I try to smell leather, I think I can get a hint of it, but the throw is straight red musk and dust-- which I don't care for at all: I like my red musk lush and juicy. To be honest I dont really smell much leather from the bottle either.. Real shame because leather is a favorite note of mine. Also fades really fast on me, leaving a lingering scent of dusty plastic. Woe is me!

Edited to add scent description Edited December 4, 2013 by MCS4096

[Redillon]

I was so excited to try this one so I bought a bottle "unsniffed." Unfortunately, it was not what I had hoped. In the bottle is all red musk and dust and I LOVE dust but not in this unification.

 

So I put it on and all I could smell was.....ROOTBEER?????? What?? No like it, no like it. I didn't get much leather at all and I LOVE woody notes and it just....wasn't. *sigh*

 

Off to the swaps.

[Velvet Lilly]

OH….MY…GOSH…… juicy red musk and leather…… i'm swooning.

 

This reminds me a lot of SMUT 2013, but without the booze and sugar, but still sweet and naughtily luscious, in a "hungry trouble" sort of way…..

 

It's got a dark woodsy, dusty smell on top , just in the bottle……it's those wooden switches!

 

But on my skin (thank Krampus) it warms up and gets all beckoning red musky.

 

I love this! I must have more bottles.

[Deliciousness]

I found this was a great red musk scent in the beginning of my wearing. It was rich, a little sweet and juicy which was balanced nicely with the rough and tough leather note. i think it's quite sexy actually.

 

Alas, the dry down was a let down, for all the dusty rags and wooden switches crashed my love-fest. The longer I had this scent on, the more dry, dusty and woody (a little like pencil shavings) this blend became. I shouldn't be surprised, I mean it actually has dusty rags and wooden switches in the scent description. I was just hoping that they wouldn't become so prominent on my skin. Oh well, I'm glad to have gotten a chance to try this one.

[zankoku_zen]

2013 version

 

Red musk and black leather. No dust, no switches. It's not feminine, and its slightly masculine on me. Overall the combination makes it a muskier black leather.

[aquazoo]

The dust is the first thing to come up. There is leather, but it doesn’t blend well on me.

[KakashiMorph]

Krampus 2013.

 

In the bottle: Amazingly lovely red musk.

On my skin: Red musk! It is bold and quite pleasant in my nose. All this time I thought it reminded me of some church cologne with a lemony hint.. Now I know that it was red musk I was smelling at. It takes a few minutes to mellow down to a comfortable level where it waves hi instead of screaming "RED MUSK" in my face.

Drydown: Pure red musk. It was like smelling a single note, I never got a whiff of anything else. It is pleasant, but I expected something more.

[Zii]

In Bottle: Awful and chemical. Similar to what Black Rider smelled like, so this is probably something to do with the black leather note.

 

Wet: This is the EXACT same leather I love in Black Rider, spiced up with musk and a little hit of what can only be dust.

 

Drying: The red musk and dust are playing strongly here. This physically does the same sort of twitch in the back of my throat that actual dust causes and it's amazing.

 

Dry: There is now something surprisingly sweet about this as it dries. It may be the wood and red musk playing nicely together, and there's still that dark, seductive black leather hanging around that keeps this from going floral or fruity.

 

This is surprisingly feminine on me! I really like this one and think it will be a nice day leather compared to Black Rider, which stayed aggressively in your face on me.

[mymymai]

ITB: It's musky with tones of aged dirt (not messy, but like dirt in an attic), and resinous wood.

 

Wet: There's a perfume-y aspect to the scent at first on my skin, but I an still detect a fragrant wood, red musk, a touch of dust, and now a nice leather note.

 

Dry: After a while, it's more of a nice, fragrant wood, a nice musk, and a faint impression of leather. It's pleasant, actually.

[milo]

Same yummy red musk. I love this and have a bottle from a previous year, even though I find it rather masculine. It's very similar to Crowley, but without the leather.

 

eta: Krampus 2015. Yum yum yum...still Crowley's sophisticated older brother. Ultimate dude blend.

Edited February 7, 2015 by milo

[anaengel]

This is for the 2012 version. I only have a decant of this because I thought it wasn't as good as it is now.

In my decant, this is a very red musk/floral scent. It is really light there. On my skin wet, it turns to dusty whip leather. I love that part of the blend. As it dries, the dust settles as does the leather, which makes me a little sad because I like the first stage. This is when the red musk starts to come out. While the red musk is coming out, I also get the tease of wood, which I still need to do more testing to figure out. Once it's dry, though, it is all that soft floral red musk like I smell in the decant.

This has much more throw while wet and drying than it does when it is completely dry. It does last around four hours before it completely disappears on me. I think aging did a wonderful job on this scent and hope we get another version this year for me to age for a couple more years.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: Yup, there's the musk. And the wood, but a dry, subdued wood. Overall, it's a bit tickly to the nose, actually. Oh! And there's a kind of sweetness rounding it out, but it's an ineffable and adult kind of sweetness, nothing readily identifiable as floral or fruity or foody or whatever - I'm inclined to think it's the leather.

 

Wet: Sharper and a little less sweet than in the bottle, although I think the leather(?) is still hanging out somewhere in the background. This is now most definitely a musty, dusty type of scent. I'm still getting only faint woody hints, and still no dusty rags (although I admit I'm not at all sure I would be able to identify them if they're there). The musk is still pretty dominant, but I miss the warmth it had in the bottle. Now there's something almost...herbal there? Yeah, near-herbal is how I would describe the sharpness; like slightly dusty dried herbs.

 

Dry: A surprisingly comforting leather-musk blend - very masculine, but somehow more pleasant because of it. (And I'm normally a vanilla and/or amber girl, for reference's sake.)

[nathanielhebert]

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but Krampus will likely kidnap me and toss me into a river!

It's exciting to have two Krampuses together to compare and contrast!

Krampus (2006)

Now this is a pleasant surprise! I had received the 2012 version first, which left me feeling a little nonplussed about Krampus in general. However, the 2006 version delivers on the notes it promises. In the bottle, it's slightly sour and sharp, and unfolds beautifully on my skin upon application.

All the notes seem to be well balanced. There’s the dusty rags up front, and the switches in play are green and vegetal. These aren’t dry twigs, but live branches that Krampus has gleefully hacked off a tree—a scent that reminds me of the autumnal blend, October. The red musk is present, but kept in check by the depth of the worn black leather. Overall, it’s a dry, somewhat masculine scent that I can imagine I’ll be reaching for throughout the year.

Krampus (2012)

In the bottle, it’s very sweet. Like VERY sweet. It’s mainly juicy red musk, that eclipses all the other notes. I had splashed a dab onto myself, and unsolicited, my wife remarked, “You smell like a fruit cake!”. I’m sure she was referring to the sticky Yule log that people like to gift. ( and re-gift ) Certainly smells like spiced, candied fruit. It’s almost like the Sugar Plum Fairy was paying Krampus a visit, and he subsequently tossed her into the batter of his gâteau aux fruits, which he later served up to guests with a disturbing twinkle in his eyes.

If this were a deathmatch, Krampus 2006, definitely takes the cake—and much like the reviled holiday fruitcakes, I will likely recycle the 2012 version onwards.

[radiantfracture]

(Krampus '15)

 

Wow, not what I was expecting from previous reviews.

 

In the bottle: wintergreen.

Wet: Wintergreen, then dust and maybe smoke, then wintergreen again. A much colder scent than I was expecting.

Drydown: Some woods and maybe a little of the red musk. Several reviewers said freshly peeled switches and I could see that.

Dry: This is surprisingly green and herbal on me, with a strain of dusty red musk. Maybe there's leather? It tends not to show up on me, so I shouldn't be surprised.

 

This dries down very faint on me. The green/herbal elements remain prominent. It could be refreshing, but it's not something I'd wear myself.

 

(ETA One-year aged retest) A year later, the red musk and a soft, almost malleable leather are much more forward in Krampus.

Edited December 6, 2016 by radiantfracture

[lookingglass]

I've never reviewed KRAMPUS?! I don't even know how old my bottle is! I find him darkly sweet and musky with both sharp and creamy woody notes. The leather is supple, and the red musk is slightly fruity. I'm very glad he's so wearable for me, because I enjoy him very, very much!

[SimplySyra]

Krampus goes on a bit sharp and woody but soon dries down to a more mellow dusty black leather and a faint whiff of red musk.The wood and dust are at the forefront for me, followed by leather and then again by the red musk which lurks just off in the background. Red musk has always read as slightly fruity and slightly bubblegum on me and the same can be said here, but it's extremely tempered by the other notes.

 

This wears surprisingly neutral on me. It's warm, faint, and quite nice. Definitely leaning more on the traditionally masculine side of things but I think easily wearable by any gender who would reveal in slightly sinister dusty, musky woody scents. While I'm not finding myself springing for a bottle, I will happily keep and wear my decant.

[LizziesLuck]

So. I have discovered this year that I love red musk. And that I can sometime wear things with black leather in them. So I am going to go out on a limb and give this a shot. I feel like Krampus is just one of those things you have to try, you know?

 

2015

 

Wet: Lots and lots of sexy sinister red musk! And something almost anise-like. Hmmm!! This is not what I expected, but it's so interesting, and I like it so far! The wood in this is really nice (I can't believe I just typed that). This almost has a tobacco vibe to me too. This is griity, in the good way. This verges on masculine, but in a way that I feel I could still wear somehow. That's unusual, I am feminine all the way, most times.

 

Dry: I really like this. I think it's pretty unisex, I feel like I can wear it, also feel like it could smell really good on a man. The wood isn't overpowering in this. The musk is fabulous, and blends perfectly with the leather. I am undecided about whether I need a bottle, but I really really like this.

[BeyondBad1313]

This is my favorite yule, I can see why this blend comes back every year. It is a deep red musk that is commanding the front lines of this blend. I love the wood in this blend, to me it feels more like cedar and it is lovely, as well as the leather, mmph if you like leather then this blend is for you. I tried an older version of this recently and I have to say I like the 2015 better. Maybe because the wood is sharper in the new version.

[Cali]

Got a bunch of imps from a lovely swapper, including krampus 2006.
Oooh... sultry but spicy. A herby type of spicy. The wood notes in there are subtle and there's also something aquatic & really sweet, but not sickeningly.

On my skin it amps up the red musk, but also the spicy notes kinda jump out on me. A bit overwhelming, but still sultry, and surprisingly doesn't have a strong throw on me. I don't think I need a bottle as I like it a bit more in it's wet stages than dry, but what a lovely blend!

(My bird seems to be very interested in this scent; she keeps walking onto my hand where I applied the perfume).

[Casablanca]

2016

 

I got to sample this with my friend as one of her decants. My friend’s skin works wonders with red musk and leather, and on her, Krampus was an awesome thing defying description.

 

On me…

 

Krampus is a warhorn blast of BO-stinky red musk, dust, and sodden-wet rags. Then a sort of cinnamon cedar-broom wood wafts out like the doorway gust of a craft shop. And then black leather. I’m so happy to smell the leather amongst the rest of this that I want to hug it and bring it home.

 

Because this is awful on me, it lasts forever. I’m sure this is a scientifically proven causation!

 

I don’t need this one, but my friend plans on two bottles.

[lizabelle]

2016 version

 

So, here's the thing; when I ordered a decant of this I didn't actually expect to like it. I figured it was one of those classic BPALs that you just have to smell. I am so very pleased to be wrong. This starts with a kind of molasses/dark varnished wood note, then the wool comes in. I have no idea how the lab does these things, but it seriously smells like a well-loved blanket. There's also something coal-dusty going on here, like the ash note in La Befana. The overall effect is surprisingly warm and comforting, and most of all wearable. I love it!

[crimescenecleanup]

Damn, Krampus, where have you been all my life?

 

This is the most beautiful true-to-life suede leather note, and possibly the first BPAL leather note to ever work on me. It has just a hint of red musk that is both fruity and cold at the same time. It is not a red musk that I recognize from any other scent, and seems unique to this one.

 

It has a pleasantly dusty aspect to it, that keeps the leather and red musk in check. I agree that it is similar to the coal dust from other Yule scents. The coldness and the dustiness of Krampus It is definitely filling my need for more mineral/petrichor notes.

[doomsday_disco]

2019 version.

 

The note-list is different: Be good, or Krampus will toss you in a river! Sinister red musk, black and rust-brown leathers, dusty rags, and wooden switches.

 

In the decant: I swear I am getting some sassafras mingling with some red musk!? Something in here is reminding me of Tombstone...

 

On me: Yep, I am getting sassafras! Well, this was totally unexpected. But I am here for it! I wonder if there is some sassafras-soaked cedar in here, or if it is accompanying the brown leather? In any case, I definitely smell some root beer with some cedar and leather. As it sits on my skin, the red musk emerges and overtakes these notes, but they can still be smelled behind it (for now). 

 

After a while, the red musk does end up taking over, as it is wont to do on me. It is a red musk party on my skin, with some black leather and dusty, soft cedar behind the musk.

 

Verdict: Well, I was enjoying this until the red musk took over. I'd recommend this to someone that enjoys red musk but also happens to love Tombstone and leather.

Edited May 9, 2020 by doomsday_disco

[doomsday_disco]

2013 version.

 

This version smells different than the 2019 version. There's no root beer aspect to it at all (alas!), just a ton of red musk backed by some leather and dust. The red musk is super strong out of the gate and never stops being the main player on me.

 

I'm glad I got to try another version of this, but I'll be passing on my frottle to someone who might appreciate it more.

[fairybites]

This review is for the 2007 version!

 

Krampus was a bit disappointing to me. The only notes I'm getting are the dust and red musk, which isn't a bad scent but the throw and wear are extremely low. It's completely gone after an hour. It also went a little powdery and sweet on me, not sure what notes could have caused that.

 

Not what I expected, maybe I'd have better luck with the newer releases. Don't think I'll hold onto this decant.