Onyx Pearl
Agonist (2011)

Oh gawd no! This kicks off ultra-mainstream with that lame Axe body spray top with the mix of grape candy and Windex, with a bit of artificial oud hiding beneath. Given time, as the grape fades, you get a bit of clary sage in its place, still engulfed in a buzzing fusion of ammonia and fake oud.

This is a really generic men's mall scent pretending to be a $1300 art perfume. Just say no...

The opening is an über-synthetic aldehydic oud, yes, another synthetic oud, quite sharp, a touch shrill and intensive. The other part in the opening is a leathery component, a dry, old leather that has not been neglected, not cared for and is found dried out outside in the sun.

The next phase begins in whiffs of bergamot whilst developing an edgy and sharp-brightish patchouli that work quite well together with the oud note from the opening. Combined they do indeed remains me if a traditional fougère that has been given a laboratory-oud-style makeover; the whole combination at that stage is mimicking a rather cheap old-style oakmoss with the quite shrill oud on top.

The rest is a base where ambroxan and a somewhat generic woodsy impression are added, but the oud-patchouli middle-note dyad prevails and keeps on setting the tone until quite close to the end; only then do the woody elements finally more into the foreground to fade out slowly.

The performance is indubitably formidable: strong sillage, excellent projection and a terrific eleven hours of longevity. Overall a good winter scent, a bit uninspiring and quite predictable, but with splendid performance indexes. 2.75/5.

Oriental Flowers, Arabian Oud, Leather, Heliotrope, Indian Amber, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, White Musk.

The first thing I noticed upon applying Onyx Pearl is the Rouge quality I experience. I'm reminded ( somewhat ) of Pascal Morabito's Avec Amour ( Passion Mediterranee). That was a release I didn't care for initially, but was one that eventually grew on me.

Arabian Oud you say? Well, I for one don't experience oud in any fashion, but others may fare better. What transpires on my skin is a leathery wood with accents of spice and balsam. The red aspect is rather nice and leans more masculine than you might expect. The floral components are muddled on my skin, but they are successful in adding volume to a full and straightforward accord.

The leather implemented here is of the supple variety. Its texture is creamy, but I know that isn't normally associated with leather. I suppose it exemplifies suede more than conventional leather and it's also accented nicely by a continual and sensual earthiness.

There's not much in the way of transitions on me other than the natural lowering of intensity accomplished by time itself. That, however, doesn't negate the positive attributes of Onyx Pearl. The totality of this scent is a full bodied affair consisting of hazy florals, leathery wood and earth tones shrouded in a reddish mist.

Do I love Onyx Pearl? No, I do not, but I like and respect it. This is for occasions when one desires to have their scent noticed. I find nothing inconspicuous or wispy about it. Sillage is good and longevity is 6 hours plus on my skin. Once again, price point is a deciding factor with this house, so a sample wear is highly recommended. A neutral rating from SS for Onyx Pearl by Agonist.

Onyx Pearl opens with a cozy, transparent, artificial bouquet of woody/velvety aromachemicals, among which probably Iso E, cashmeran, ambroxan, a salty metallic note which may be due to some aldehydes, some synthetic amber, counter-balanced – not that well, to me – by a central note delivering quite a weird and nondescript smell, really dry and rubbery, somehow sticky and terpenic too, sweet-ish and cloying, halfway agarwood and pineapple, if that makes some sense. If that's leather, it's a leather sub-genre I did not knew and I don't really need to explore further, as I find "that" note, or accord, frankly unpleasant and disturbing, not in a good way. As soon as some dissonances vanish away, it all progressively simplifies into something a bit more enjoyable and interesting, that "thing" slowly becomes a more recognizable synthetic leather/suede note, still not exactly pleasant to me (again, a weird rubbery-sweet-salty concoction, just lighter than before), but you feel it's on its way to settle down to something nicer. Which in fact happens after a couple of hours, you basically remain with the plain, but aromatic, silky and sophisticated coziness o Iso E/cashmeran drydown, that kind of woody-suede feel. Overall I find this scent a bit messy and uninspired, which manages to become only barely pleasant thanks to the effortless - but kind of generic and cheap - elegance of the abovementioned aromachemicals. More than "uninspired" I actually don't get its point precisely. Perhaps it's my lack of sensitivity for "avant-garde" scents, but it's a "no" for me.

4,5-5/10

Really dark, melancholic and enigmatic. The intense leathery-musky woodiness is really intense, deeply floral and mysterious in Onyx Pearl. This fragrance owns a certain dose of temperament. A new generation leather/fougere with hints of oud and a deep woody/musky base. Many olfactory conjurations jump on mind. I detect a bit of Antaeus, a tad of the classic Enrico Coveri Pour Homme, some Trussardi Uomo (new formula)'s facets, a touch of Police Dark (expecially as i catch bergamot, faint lavender, floral notes, dark patchouli- a touch of licorice yet?- and may be fir resins-or probably just the leather/oud gives this type of resinous illusion) and may be some vague new Nu_be Sulphur's complicated nuances. The first blast is soon unquestionably leathery, slightly angular (for few time) by faint bergamot and modulated aromatic notes, a touch aqueous and with intense floral patterns (probably violets, i'm almost sure about it, plus may be lily of the valley and carnation). Really a virile and satisfactory introduction for us. A while later, in the central stage, a well modulated (unfortunately slightly un-natural) noir oud-patchouli (flanked by hints of oriental eliotropic balsams) gets its performance enveloping all the elements in a dark/deep floral abyss. The ambergris/cedarwood combo keeps a classic and virile balance for the whole composition, linking the aroma at the tradition and preventing it to morph towards something cloying or overly synthetic in perception. A touch of final musk soothens the elements, links itself with the leather providing a soft musky/suede coushion for all the elements (in this phase i detect a bit of Narciso Rodriguez For Him- amber+patchouli+ musk+violet but with leather, more depth and complexity). There is an aoudish slightly "gassy" vibe in the general darkness but i don't detect an overly cloying feel. Average rating just because of the lack of uniqueness and because i should had enjoyed it without the (faint thank God i have to say anyway) "aoudishy" vein. For a poetic and solitary man walking at night in a dark coat for the frosty streets of the Moskow's suburbia.
Ps. After a couple of hours the aroma turns out decidedly silky and velvety with a "fluidy" (i mean smooth and softly linear) musky/leathery/floral (black carnation?) comforting stream. At this point i detect many similarities with the new seductive Black Dianthus by Il Profvmo. 6,50-7/10 my rating.

A GREAT NEW FRAGRANCE FROM AGONIST. IT IS DEFINITELY WORTH TRYING...I LOVE IT.