The Grand Inquisitor's Heretic's Fork

[sarada]

'Abuiro' has been burned into the leather straps. My, they took such care in crafting these horrible instruments.
Coppery dried blood, metal, vetiver, and bonfire smoke.

I was just thinking...that I need more vetiver blends. For all the time I spend championing the great cause of vetiver, I really need more bottles that represent my love of that most dark and earth, gritty, sweetly scorched scent.

If you love vetiver, and I know there are others like me out there...or you love smoke, you need a good poking of the heretic's fork! It's not entirely like the other burny smoky woody ones out there though it bears some resemblance to them. Malediction in the GC, or perhaps Agnes Nutter from the Good Omens collection, can give you an idea of the sort of burnt wood smell that lies beneath this, but there is also a cold glittering slightly rusted note that I take to be the metal and dried blood. It comes out more as it's drying, and really lifts the scent out of the realm of the purely burnt and smoking.

If you wear it around the right people they might just say "Pardon, but is that the smell of blood drying on a rusted metal fork of some sort amidst the charred remains of a heretic's bonfire?" To which you may answer, well, whatever seems appropriate for the situation. I'm getting some of the more glistening vetiver notes as this dries, as I always think of it as a smooth and polished woody surface blackened by age and soot. Mmmm.

[alicia_stardust]

I have to admit upfront that vetiver is my biggest scent nemesis. Moving beyond the fact that this won't work on my skin, the vetiver and smoke aspect is really intriguing. There's a burnt sort of smoky woodsy aspect that melds with the vetiver, and as time passes there is more of a metallic orange-red blood aspect that comes out from underneath everything else. This is one of those blends that truly hits the concept and it sort of creeps me out. In a good way, of course.

[Brianne]

This smells surprisingly like leather on me for a while - I know it's not listed and it likely isn't in there, but the combination of these notes ends up like a sweet, leathery scent. It's less spicy than I anticipated, but it IS spiced and the vetiver isn't nearly as dark as I figured it would be. The result is a scent that is slightly spiced, a bit masculine, and smells of slightly sweet smoke. It's a bit too masculine for me, but I can understand the appeal of this one, it's a nice smokey scent!

[filigree_shadow]

I have to admit, I usually like vetiver. I think it smells fairly true on my skin -- dark, husky, smoky... almost like dry grass that's burning just a little bit, if you can imagine that.

 

I also have to admit that at first the vetiver in this was a little too strong even for me. I like it, but it was kinda the only thing I could smell for the first 15 minutes I put on the perfume. When it settled down, though -- ah! Very nice. The "blood" part of this scent sweetens it up significantly, and I like the metal with it. It has a wee bit of twang somewhere in there. It turns into a beguiling skin scent after about 30 minutes and isn't too strong at all.

 

I agree with alicia_stardust that there's something creepy about this scent. But I happen to like creepy.

[savage_rose]

When I sniffed it in the bottle, I thought "ARGH! Vetiver Hell." But on, it's not nearly as harsh as I was expecting. It's more...Vetiver Purgatory, if you will. But under the vetiver, I smell smoke, and something vaguely sweet. I think that's the blood? Sweet blood? Interesting.

[slave1]

THE GRAND INQUISITOR'S HERETIC'S FORK

 

In Bottle: Smoke

 

On Skin: This is dark thick smoke, heavy and hot… a huge bonfire and a night full of mischief and debauchery. It sadly, is not a scent that likes me, even though I love where it’s going and I absolutely love the subject matter. But… smoke and vetiver amp like no tomorrow and I’m a bit overwhelmed. The metal is in the background, a bright slice comes through here and there. The dried blood is red and sticky… very deep and slightly bitter sweet. The vetiver and smoke are black, earthy and the darkest of dark. It has a very strong throw and long wearlngth.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is thick vetiver and smoke...

 

once applied a tangy, dried blood combined with the smoky vetiver is knockin'

my sox off!!

 

this stays dark, thick and sadistic...there's that devil and his pitchfork

 

i am all for beth's insanely darker scents and this is a winner...thank you!!

[Little Bird]

I don't like any of the notes in this, but it is an interesting scent. Interesting, but not something that I'd ever wear. The blood and metal gives it a sort of metallic, rusty twang that sweetens up in the drydown on my skin. The vetiver and bonfire smoke combine to give me an impression of charred wood, dry grass, & suffocating woodsmoke. It's a hot, charred, dark, gritty sort of scent on me. The Heretic's Fork fades pretty quickly on me though, so that a half hour later I'm left with just a hint of smoky sweetness on my wrists (I think that the blood smell is almost like red musk or red wine with a metallic edge, so perhaps that's the sweeter bit I get in the drydown). It's not a keeper for me, but I never really like smoky scents.

[starwild]

Whoo, that's some serious smoke! It almost overwhelms the vertiver, which is saying something. Super, super smoky and dark blend with something that does smell reminiscent of dried blood and almost a twinge of metal. Freaky. The metal and blood does sweeten it up so it's not unbearably thick. Surprisingly well-blended!

 

Does what it says on the label. If you like smoke and vertiver, try it!

 

As for me...eh, I'll keep the imp but I'm not sure if I'll wear it often.

[alexandra]

Bottle: ooh, a lighter The Chapel, sweet blood and metal

 

Wet: Sticky blood and a tiny hint of smoke, quite nice.

 

Dry: Oh dearie me. The Grand Inquisitor is wearing Lynx and it is overpowering everything else in the room. Now that is pure torture.

 

And?:This turns into grossness on me. Bah.

[edenssixthday]

The Grand Inquisitor's Heretic's Fork - Wow, this is really heavy on the blood and smoke notes when I first apply it, but it dries down to a faint coppery scent. To me, it's neither impressive nor appealing, but I imagine people who tend to like those coppery blood and smoke type scents will find this one right up their alley.

[mazikeen]

First thoughts (in the bottle and freshly applied):

It makes me think of an old health food store. No, not modern ones, but the kind we went to when I was a kid in the late 70s/early 80s. A little dismal (despite their best efforts), with vats of beans and other dried and powdered ingredients. The only brightly colored wrappers in the place contained disappointment: carob, not chocolate. The bitter smell of this takes me back to these sorts of places. If you nuzzle around, you can find something nice (or at least, sort of appealing) but the first impression is off-putting.

 

I like it more after its dried. I'm still not sure that I'd ever want to wear it, though. This is vetiver? I thought I liked vetiver?

 

I ordered a ton of CD bottles (unsniffed) because I was sure the ingredients would work for me. So far, all the ones I thought would be good aren't, and the ones I took a chance on have been great. Weird. If this were an imp I'd keep it, but I have a whole bottle. I'm going to have to start reselling this stuff...

 

[Added later-- after awhile, this does smell nice. It seems that all those health food store ingredients made a nice meal. Still, though, I smell like a meal. Oh, the irony! I'm a lifelong vegetarian and thought this smelled first like a health food store, and then, like a meal... and this scent is BLOOD AND SMOKE. I'm not sure what to think about that...]

 

ADDED 3 YEARS (!) LATER--

I dug this out from its dark recess today on a whim. Now... I love it! That bitter health-food-store smell is gone. It's smoky, but not too much. Good throw, pretty long-lasting.

 

What an awesome surprise!

Edited October 5, 2011 by mazikeen

[greenranger]

I'm not picking out individual notes well on this.

 

I was really uncertain about liking anything with dried blood and metal in it. Which is why I have had this for a while now, and am only just now reviewing it. However, all I am really perceiving is a dark, resiny smelling scent with a touch of smoke.

 

I actually like dark, resiny scents with a touch of smoke.

 

I'm not certain that I am in love enough to track down a bottle, but, I am happy that I have a decant.

[AEris]

Vetiver is hit or miss for me (more miss than hit, to be honest) and this blend is a slightly sweetened vetiver. It's still dry and smoky and intense, and I wouldn't wear it, but I can appreciate it as one of the more palatable vetiver BPALs.

 

3.1 out of 5

[Czarina]

I was really frightened to try this because of the blood note and because the concept makes me feel really squicky.

 

In the bottle: smoke, blood, vetiver.

Wet: smoky...leather?

Drydown: mostly vetiver and smoke. After about an hour it gets kind of powdery on me, but in a smoky, wonderful way.

 

I stepped into the control booth at a football game about half an hour after applying this and was greeted by: "You smell wonderful!"

 

So...the blood? Not so much something to be afraid of. Guess this is a keeper after all, although from the sparse number of reviews I guess this old Fork ain't gettin' much love around here.

[zankoku_zen]

Oh man, I'm not a vetiver fan. This blend is all smoke and ozoney metal on me. It's a weird blend in that sense. And although I don't really smell 'blood', it kinda does have a 'bloody' overtone to it.

 

Erm. Creepy.

[nightbiscuit]

I actually bought this at the West Coast will call after having sniffed it purely out of curiosity...I never in a million years would have thought it was something I would like! Even after reading the reviews, I was utterly put off. Then I sniffed it in person.

:D

Helloooo sexy vetiver!! This is a beautiful, rich, non-scary blend. Seriously! It's very dark, but kind of chocolatey....earthy, spicy, SEXXAY!

And honestly, vetiver is not usualy a favorite of mine, but the Fork is dangerously awesome.

[voodoocatwoman]

This is all smoke, blood and vetiver. This scent is cunning and dangerous... for those Crow moods.

[rayvn1]

Vetiver and smoke. I ask you - can there be a better combination? I think not!! This reminds me a LOT of Agnes Nutter and I believe I like 'ol Agnes more...

 

but the vetiver! This is absolutely nasty smelling in the imp as is Agnes, so give it a chance! On the skin there are definite metallic notes and it's just a great scent. I will probably get a bottle just to mix it up a little on days I don't feel like wearing Agnes.

 

This is filled to the brim with win. Yay BPAL!!

[Kittenmorag]

In the Bottle- Wow, this scent is DARK, dark, dark. It reminds me a lot of the base from Herr Drosselmeyer, which is surprising, because that's mostly tobacco and leather. It's surprisingly smooth- I like vetiver from what i've experienced of it. I wonder where it is?

 

On the wrist- Oh, THERE it is. The smoothness comes away to reveal the bitter tang of the vetiver and the smoke. Underneath is the slightly warm scent of the metal and drying blood, but mostly i'm getting the vetiver and the thing that smells like leather. It's very strange.

 

 

Overall- This goes strong for hours. It's not a huffing scent, but one that delicately plays on the senses throughout it's duration. I will warn, however, that it does trigger some allergies- some days i'm sensitive to strong smells, and on those days it gives me one hell of a headache. Otherwise, i'm very excited by this scent- it's more masculine than most of the things I own, and will prove interesting to wear!

 

=^..^=

[anastasia]

Oh heretic's fork!!!

Selecting from The Wunderkammer just about did me in but in the end I could not say no to the fork.

The vetiver and the smoke combine to be incensey to me and a lot of the labs smoke/incense blends smell almost like food in the bottle. Like bread baked with wine or I suppose blood in it. Kind of sacreligiouly nourishing. In the bottle this is like that but almost peppery with the metallic note. Wet, it is like a propolis tincture I used to get. As it starts to dry I get the metal and smoke and still something a little meaty in the background. I started out my first orders here with a lot of smoky scents and some of them were also ozoney which made them sweet. This is salty. Like kalamata olives. All of my favorite foods and cocktails are salty.

One of my newfound delights with BPAL fragrance is how much they change. I find it very exciting. This one lightens up a lot and gets a little sweeter. I know it is a strange thing to say but this gets very comfortable for me. I am a little afraid to wear it to work because I really like smells other people do not but I wear it to bed sometimes. It is almost a skin scent on me in the end. Warm and musky and lightly pyrotechnic. Like firecracker musk.

[forspecial_plate]

Vetiver fans might know what I mean when I say, this is the smoother 'brown' variety of vetiver, rather than the rooty/earthy 'green' kind. And vetiver is mostly what I'm getting from this scent. There is also something minty in here, I would swear to it. In fact, it mostly reminds me of Wulric The Wolfman, without the cocoa (although the vetiver does smell a bit like dry, unsweetened chocolate). That mint note is elusive...I just can't pin it down, but I also keep thinking of the pennyroyal in Mad Hatter.

 

Anyway, this is a good scent with the focus on vetiver. It seems after smelling it in so many scents, the big v. just isn't as exciting to me as it once was. I still like it, don't get me wrong. But I won't be needing a full bottle of this scent, with so many other scents competing for my attention. However....I would suggest, if you liked Wulric, but were turned off by the cocoa, definitely give the Fork a try!

[tinyvulture]

How random that I just tested The Hessian of the Hollow, which shares several notes with this blend – vetiver, blood, and metal.

 

Vetiver is never a weak note, but I would say it’s even stronger than usual in this offering. Although the blood and metal are present, they play more of a supporting role here (compared to Hessian). The most noticeable note next to vetiver is actually the smoke. Of course, vetiver itself has a smoky, scorched element, so that might be part of what I’m smelling. Overall, although I’m a huge fan of vetiver, I wish it were toned down a bit to allow the other notes their turn in the spotlight. It feels one-note compared to some of the other spectacular, complex vetiver blends I’ve tried and loved.

[catatonic1242]

In the imp: I was kind of scared to try this one on, because it's all metal and vetiver to my nose.

 

On, wet: When I put my nose up to my arm, I get metal and vetiver, but when I just sit and let the smell waft towards me, I get a hint of smoke. There's a very industrial feeling going on here.

 

On, dry: I feel like I'm hallucinating a hint of musk in here, just under the metal. This is a dark, slightly masculine smell, not for everyday wear, but just right for when I'm feeling somber.

[thebirdofhermes]

In bottle: Light goldenish brown oil. ...Circus peanuts and almond butter? I'm getting a hint of something smoky, but... eeeyeah. What? My nose is weird, and I'm really hoping this one morphs.

 

On skin, wet: Blood and metal, with something that makes me think of hot leather. But mostly blood and metal, very thick and heavy to my nose, like it's slightly congealed blood. Not old and dried at all. The bloodiness is definitely hitting me first, with the metal being a tang in the back of my nose. It's all held together by that heated note. It's almost sickening, but backs away just before it reaches that point. Closing my eyes, I'd swear I'm in a torture chamber just after they're finished with a victim. Very evocative scent.

 

On skin, fifteen minutes later: It's gone softer now. The blood is dried and the torture chamber is empty. Still bloody, metallic, and hot. The smokiness is coming out more, like the wisps from an extinguished candle. I am still smelling something leathery in this blend; probably a combination of the blood and the smoke. Mostly now, though, it's metal. Metal that's been left in a flame to heat up some, but metallic nonetheless. Seems to have a nice throw to it. At usual distance, I'm catching soft, heated iron. The blood seems to be an afterthought from a distance, but is noticeable up close.

 

I actually really love this. It's not something I could wear everywhere, but I may invest in a bottle before the Carnaval comes down. Very glad I took a chance on the decant of this.

 

On skin, an hour later: ...I am swooning over the blood note the longer I wear this. It doesn't throw, but dear Lord I love holding my nose against where I applied the oil and just huffing. It's just that damn good. Guh. (It hasn't changed any in an hour; pretty much once a scent settles on my skin it just fades, but the balance of notes doesn't change. I just forgot I'd not submitted this post and figured I may as well add in just how much I love the blood.)

 

Hnnh. Doesn't seem like this one is getting any love at all lately...

 

EDIT: Okay, so, I had my mother sniff this one on me. She cleans surgical instruments for a living. Her verdict? It smells EXACTLY like blood on metal. It actually made her a little queasy. A real testament to Beth's blending abilities!

Edited February 1, 2010 by thebirdofhermes