Old Demons of the First Class

[child of drought]

Siberian musk, black clove, opoponax, tonka, black pepper, and neroli.

In the bottle: The first thing I smell is a strong, sharp, flowery scent. Not floral per say, but clearly a flower - perhaps the opoponax. Underneath that is just a hint of the musk.

One wet: Oh wow! The black pepper and musk come out really clearly now, the floral scent is gone. The musk is still just a hint underneath.

Dry: The floral comes back a bit but it remains a very clearly clove/pepper mix with musk undertones.

[fufu_berry]

On wet: Dark musk, something spicy and smoky (must be the pepper and clove), just a hint of wintergreen, and a faint sweetness.

 

Drydown: The sweetness and spices amp up a bit, but the neroli doesn't get overpowering like it sometimes does on me. At this stage, it's like a lighter Rumpelstilzchen, which is a favorite of mine.

 

Dry: Musk comes out a bit more, and the whole thing really settles together.

 

Several hours plus: Still getting most of the components - musky, spicy, and faintly sweet. I really like this a lot. I probably have a slight preference for Rumpelstilzchen because of the vetiver and woods, but ODofFC has much better staying power. Glad I sprung for a bottle of this!

[filigree_shadow]

This is very nice -- reminds me a bit of Smut, if it were smokier and drier. The clove is a little bit powdery on me, oddly. But if it weren't for that, I'd really like this a lot.

[tdgnika]

In the imp, this smelled like industrial cleaner. Since other folks mentioned neroli as having an orange scent, maybe that's it. Regardless, I was worried.

Wet on the skin, a lovely woodsy smell, with a bit of the pepper.

Dry on the skin, this is a nice, mellow, woodsy scent on me. A bit of spice.

I'm really surprised when I look at what is in this one. It doesn't smell like clove or musk to me at all. I am so bad at identifying notes!

 

 

I tried this again in 2018, not realizing I'd reviewed it before, and this is my new review:

 

I should love this!

In the bottle, strong musk and smells like commercial cologne.

 

Wet on the skin - I get the musk but also the other scents. It's not smelling like cheap cologne anymore.

 

On dry down - it's pleasant and the masculine, incense smell from the musk is really nice with that bit of pop from the pepper. But it's so subtle as to be barely there. I have to practically jam my nose into my wrist to get it. If I didn't know how awesome BPAL was, I would be blown away by this woodsy, incense-y scent. But, given the strengths of my other favorites, this one is too subtle to blip on the radar.

Edited January 26, 2018 by VeronikaGalt

[tinyvulture]

Spices galore. Opoponax, fiery clove, and black pepper. The opoponax, as it often does, smells a "Coca-Cola-esque" to me. The sweetness of tonka aids in that comparison. Old Demons is not nearly as sweet as my favorite clove blend, Pickled Imp, however. It's darker, a little more evil. The neroli is not showing up. Normally, anything citrus takes over completely on me, so that is a happy surprise. It leaves me free to enjoy this wonderful spice blend. Not a super-strong scent, more like an old spice box where the spices have lost some of their potency.

[nihil]

In vial: Musk, pepper and clove.

Wet: More pepper and clove, but still heavy musk. Oppoponax, tonka and neroli come through.

Dry: Woody spice blend mixed with musk and coumarin. Hint of neroli at the end.

 

Another great masculine smell. I think it is rather sexy, though my wife still needs to rate it.

[brilliantcat]

In imp, whoo, incense and pepper! On me, I get the nice smoky, incense-y opoponax and an inky musk. There's a hint of pepper and this is definitely masculine-leaning on me. I'm not fond of how this is warming up on me, it's a dry, dusty feeling mild incense, almost musty. Yup, it's gone dusty, powdery, and just not good. Sadface

[Mokiefraggle]

So many scents from my Christmas binge that I have yet to review...can't believe I forgot this one! I love this so very much, being that I'm a bit of a musk-loony. It's the perfect addition to my collection.

 

It's so much dark, deep, lush musk, with just the right amount of tonka sweet-spicy, and a sharp twist of pepper, a tiny bit of bitter crispness from the neroli...oh, so delightful. It doesn't change much once it's on my skin, and I wouldn't want it to. it's perfect, and it suits its name wonderfully.

 

(Also, I admit to being firmly of the mind that this is precisely what my Tiefling Paladin in the D&D game I'm currently in must smell like. I'm an epic nerd. )

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Burnt, deep spices and something I can't place.

 

Wet on my skin: The Hopi people have a staple dish called Piki bread, made from blue corn flour and juniper berry ash. During this stage, this smells very, very much like freshly-baked Piki bread. I have no why, since there's no juniper or corn in it, but that's how my nose is reading it.

 

Dry: ...and no more Piki bread. This is now a gorgeous, smoky clove, pepper, and dark musk scent. The wet stage was enough to make me like it, and it's even better dry. There's just a hint of sweetness from the tonka, and I'm not detecting the neroli. It's strong and dark, deep brown in colour. This is not something for someone who prefers sweet scents, but for those of us who like smoke, musk, and somewhat bitter scents, this is definitely something to try at least once.

[gentle-twig]

This opens as a smooooooooooth, creamy, slightly husky (from the clove) musk, but is quickly brightened by what must be the neroli and maybe a bit of a woody bite from the opoponax. This is the only blend I've gotten from the lab with Siberian musk, but I would compare it to brown or maybe red musk. Alas, the black pepper is nowhere to be seen on me! As it mellows, the musk backs into harmony with the opoponax and neroli, creating a warm but slightly bitter bouquet with just a hint of that same mysterious brightness. Pretty gender neutral, not too heavy and not too light. Definitely lighter than I was expecting, given the notes. This is nice, but not exciting enough for a bottle since I already have some similar blends that have a little more edge. However, if you're looking for a dark, slinky musk but are overwhelmed by, say, Satyr, this might be a good option!

 

ETA: After about 4 hours this gets strangely smoky?? I'm not sure why. But afterwards it settles back into a subtle, smooth musk.

Edited August 30, 2015 by gentle-twig

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Thick musk, opoponax and pepper are standing out most to me. It's sweet and smooth, mmm.

 

 

Dry: Sweet, peppery, faintly musky. Dark and rich. Really good!

[Casablanca]

A furry furry musky musk and clove, given depth from the opoponax and tonka. I only pick up a little black pepper and neroli when I hunt for them. Without the notes list, I might have read the black pepper as part of the clove... I don't mind black pepper when it's this light.

After Old Demons dries, it becomes a sweet, spicy, fuzzy musk on me.

I don't know if it's the fuzzy "Siberian" musk or the hint of orange blossom, but this reminds me of my flame-point Siberian cat. I like it.

[Convallaria]

Oh, god, I knew I would like this, but I wasn't sure I would like it this much! What is this wonderful opening concoction? Siberian musk? Siberian musk+neroli? Musk+neroli+clove?

 

I actually bought an imp (because my frimp luck is bad) for pepper, and it's not as peppery as I want, but it's great enough for me to not feel too grumpy about it. It's still definitely there, for a while at least. After that, it's back to that spicy musk. Later drydown is all sweet cuddly musk+tonka, very classical perfume.

 

It's very unisex. Perhaps leaning a bit more towards masculine, until the late drydown at least, but nowhere near the point it feels questionable.

[Mermaid-on-Land]

This smells a little cinnamony when first applied. Maybe that's the clove? It's smoky/peppery/spicy. I quite like it. But I'm having a hard time describing it. I definitely smell the myrrh-like oppoponax in the background. The pepper is a unique note that's noticeable. It's pretty but perhaps leaning a bit cologne-ish. But not too much for me to wear, I don't think. It's a dark scent, fitting the name, but elegant too, I think. A refined, well, *classy* demon lol. It's resiny with spices. Good throw and lasted a good amount of time. I could detect it as I moved around. The dry-down is mostly to oppoponax, which behaves a lot like myrrh on me. A previous review described it as opening a wooden spice chest and I can't get the association out of my mind so I'll just second that haha

On a second wearing I mostly notice the pepper and clove giving it a spice and a smooth musk in the background. The neroli isn't terribly noticeable but lends it a hint of sweetness. The pepper comes across more spiky in the beginning (it veers a little close to making me want to sneeze!) but smooths out over time. It's a very *dry* scent; it almost made my nose feel dry to smell it. Like air in a desert. I like this and get a better sense of it on the second wearing. I'm discovering I like musk based scents as well!

Edited March 23, 2017 by Mermaid-on-Land

[roseus]

Dark, smoky, and spicy. I'm loving the Siberian musk, it's so dark and fuzzy. I think this would be better suited on my guy however.

[Cali]

Oh wow, that oppoponax! I find this slightly similar to Crimson peak's Insects (though I must admit I haven't sniffed too much blends with oppoponax), but this is more sharp, more green, and with a bite.

I feel like it's slightly boozy, and very woody, like it's an old liquor box.

I don't hate it, it's certainly atmospheric but the pepper makes me want to sneeze. :'D

[Lucchesa]

I wanted to try Old Demons of the First Class because I love the Marchen series and it sounded so interesting. Neroli and tonka are usually good on me, but musks can be rather iffy, and I wasn't sure what color Siberian was -- this is the only blend in my collection to have it. In the imp, it was smoky and spicy, and wet on my skin I began to be able to smell the neroli and clove. I was really enjoying it. Then it dried, and all that was left was musk and harsh black pepper.

 

Retested in 2021 because my tastes have changed and I wanted to try this aged.  I am so glad I did.  I now know I'm a fan of Siberian musk and opoponax, and together with the clove these are the main players on my skin.  There's a little neroli for a breath of citrus, but mainly this is spicy musky dark resins, a little sweet, perfectly unisex and perfect for this damp chilly autumn day. 

Edited October 26, 2021 by Lucchesa

[CitrusFiend]

Starts off dry and spicy, eventually settles to a perfumey smoky spice. I wonder if anyone else knows what I mean when I say a scent is "perfumey"? lol! It's that hazy, vague quality. On me, Old Demons is not awful, not great, just meh.

[trinitysite]

Woodsy clove, with a the neroli and pepper adding darkness in the background. Altogether too much for me, and a bit too reminiscent of those clove cigarettes I smoked in college. Also, it's definitely on the "masculine" side, and I generally pass of those to my partner, but I think it might even be too dark for him.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Lots of musk, black clove, black pepper, and some opoponax.

 

Wet: The Siberian musk and cola-like opoponax are the first notes to jump out at me, followed by the clove and a bit of pepper. I'm not really getting any of the neroli at the moment, which is fine by me, as it can be a problematic note on my skin.

 

Dry: The musk and cola-like opoponax continue to reign. I am getting some neroli from this now, and the clove and black pepper are softer than they were during the wet stage.

 

Verdict: I like the prominence of the opoponax in this one, and I'm glad the neroli didn't ruin it for me. There's a sufficient amount of clove, but I wish it were a little stronger. I think I'll hold on to my imp for now, but I don't think I need more of this one.

[RedPersimmon]

Root beer + patchouli. Like Server Gremlins but more opaque, less sheer. I like it best when it's applied lightly. Drydown is a bit smoky and warm. Full. Vanilla without the sweetness. And a touch of something like soft tobacco. Large, warm, cozy, enveloping. Also a bit perfumy--the musk, perhaps? This phase reminds me of Odin. Powdery, deep, masculine but not bitter.

[Niniel0205]

In the imp: oh yes, my type of scent. Nice and strong, dark, powerful.

 

Wet on skin: same as in the imp. Can recognize some of the pepper in there.

 

Dry on skin: peppery note has disappeared. Starts to mellow out into a patchouli type scent even though there is no patchouli in the notes.

For sure a 'my type of scent' scent, but slightly flat and not too exciting. But,would definitely wear again on a day I crave a dark and strong scent. 

[monocainsheresy]

A warm soup of resins and spice, livened by black pepper. The neroli is not distinct but it lingers in the background keeping the scent from being too intense

[Poenari]

I have fallen in love with the Clove Cigarette scent from the BPAL/Thorns Clothing collaboration. For the first time ever, my husband also fell in love with it and casually asked me to get him a bottle of it. Since that is pretty limited and more expensive, I went in search of a GC scent that has clovey goodness. After reading reviews, I searched through my massive imp stash to find that I don't have a single imp of Old Demons. So I blind ordered a full bottle from the Lab - talk about faith. 

 

My order arrived yesterday and I immediately opened this one to sniff. OH YEAH! This is excellent! The clove is smooth and the Siberian musk is sweet. I had my husband skin test it, and it smells wonderful on him! On me, too! Spicy sweet musk, right up my alley. The musk here blooms with wear, but the clove... oh I love this.

 

This isn't by any means a dupe of  the Clove Cigarette scent, as it stands on its own merits, and is quite worthy of its own share of love. But for someone seeking an alternative that has that gorgeous clove vibe, this is perfect!

[artisjok]

I’m wearing an aged Old Demon today. He comes on strong and heavy with syrupy sweet musk and opoponax, brightened by the neroli and pepper. I’m guessing the tonka lends some of the sweetness. Clove stays hidden, maybe because it’s aged and is tired of dealing with this feisty old timer. The neroli takes its exit pretty fast, off to take a nap, and the pepper takes a chair, dozing. Siberian musk and opoponax are going on strong, they’ll rage until the last young demon has spent their fire and gone back to their hell hole. 
I like the blend well enough, especially for wear length and throw (I like ‘em strong!). I already have a bottle of Love and Time and Sun to cover my musk/opoponax niche, though this demon is fuzzier, cuddlier than that one. (Time is a harsh master. Aka Saturn) 

I’ll probably slather it on my partner when I’m wearing L&T&S, so we can be a sexy resin bomb together.