Interlude Man drives me crazy. There are some aspects that I completely dig and others that I really can't get past.
You're at a concert. The hall is packed with people waiting for the band to go on stage. Everybody talk to their friends and the overall result is the messy, cacophonic sound of thousand of people speaking at once but saying different things. You can't discern what they're talking about but you can clearly hear female voices mixed with male voices, someone is laughing hard, someone is screaming with excitement, others are calmly commenting the facts of the last few days. Everyone says something but you don't understand a thing, you just grab a bunch of words here and there but they make no sense at all. Well, this is how the Interlude Man opening acts on my olfactive sense. I pick hints of the spicy-oudy accord of Epic Man paired to a sweetish, almost gourmandic vibe and mixed with culinary herbs. A sparkling bergamot note serves as a slightly strident juxtaposition to the overall dark vibe but everything is so cacophonic to relust somewhat messy and confusing.
The lights on the stage start to play funny patterns announcing the imminent start of the show. The general hubbub clams down and people focus their attention to the stage where the band's members are grabbing their instruments. The show begins, the crowd goes wild. This is the best part of the fragrance where a dark green earthy-herbal accord distantly reminescent of Memoir Man, is paired to the balmy quality of opoponax. Just magnificent. Moderately sweet, deep, dark and extremely addictive.
The show goes on and the band start to play a bunch of new tracks from their latest, partially successfull, album. Exaltation leave space to a bit of disappointment. You expected to hear more of the older classics but the band is now focused on promoting their news style which you're not very fond of. This is when Interlude Man introduces its drydown which is sweet, ambery, smoky and woody. Something we've already experienced in Opus IV, V and VI and something that seems to have become the new Amouage hallmark.
Downline: The show was somewhat good and at times funny, the band is technically perfect, some of their greatest songs still rock but, what seems to have become their new path is not completely convincing and feels a bit uninspired. Worthy the full price ticket? No, at least not to me. I'll check their next live shows on youtube first.
Note: The show lasted a good 11 hours (quite a perfomrace for a band) and the sound projection was awesome!
Rating: 6.5-7/10
I can't believe you managed to describe my feelings for the entire Amouage line, feelings I couldn't describe myself. I knew there was something wrong but couldn't put my finger to it. I haven't tried Interlude because after getting the sample collection I lost interest. Gold Man was one of the worst perfume experiences, the others where this.... mixture that was supposed to smell great but something felt annoying. The Opus collection is much better I think.
ReplyDeleteChristos, I actually like quite a few of them. I don't know which formulation fo Gold have you smelled but, appearantly, most of them have gone through brutal reformulations. Memoir (both Man anf Woman), Epic (both versions), Jubilation (again, both versions) are big winners in my book. I also quite like Ubar and a bunch of their Opuses (IV , II and VI). If you've not tried the Attars, I also suggest Homage and Tribute.
ReplyDeleteThat said, Interlude Man was definitely a semi-disappointment :(
I have tried Ubar and liked it a lot. I think I do not like their vision of building something very intricate and dense. It is probably my fault for missing the focus of their compositions.
ReplyDeleteI think we're now witnessing a change of artistic direction. The new compositions smell, somewhat, more modern and, if possible, even more "oriental".
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