OPUS VII Amouage Perfume Review

Thanks to the efforts of Amouage creative director Christopher Chong, the Library Collection of Amouage was reinforced with one more fragrance! This is Amouage Opus VII, created by Alberto Morillas and Pierre Negrin. For the first time an aromatic “book” in a black cover has appeared in the row of white bindings. And it’s no accident—from all appearances, the black cover serves to represent black leather binding.

Covert investigations led me to a sample of the fragrance, which I was testing with great pleasure for a couple of weeks with breaks for other fragrance reviews. Speaking frankly, I was just wearing it all this time. Like what happens when you finally find a good leather jacket and would not mind even falling asleep wearing it…the same thing with Opus VII, except for the fact that I really was wearing it while sleeping. I was also wearing it while watching football, working out at the gym, cooking breakfast for my son, going out and receiving guests... What can I say about Opus VII? I’d like to note that this is the first convincingly masculine scent in the Amouage Library Collection—it has nothing specifically feminine. Neither withered flowers nor a hint of vanilla. But it does not mean that this fragrance cannot be worn by women—if they wear their boyfriend’s jeans, why not to try the boyfriend’s cologne?

There are so many allusions in Opus VII to masculine scents that are adored by men who are adored by women—Gucci Pour Homme (black pepper, olibanum, sandalwood, nutsedge), French Lover by Frederic Malle (galbanum, incense, allspice, ambrox), Kolnisch Juchten Regence (olibanum, leather, musk, costus), Jovoy Parfums Private Label (leather, sandalwood, ambrox, cypress), J.F. Schwarzlose Rausch (pepper, cypress, sandalwood, patchouli, oud). However Opus VII does not seem to be “another variation on a theme,” but conversely, appears to be a step on the way to excellence. Even if we try to assemble it with Gucci pour Homme’s nose(!), the raven-head image of Kolnisch Juchten, the bravery of Private Label, the intelligence of Cuiron and the courtesy of French Lover—we will not arrive at a complete image of Opus VII.

Opus VII opens with green notes of cannabis resin and a fruity-smoky zest of pink pepper, quickly changing to grainy chocolate patchouli and cardamom. A thick accord of fresh-ground curry appears strongly—as if being ground into leather that softens it and slightly dispels the illusion of Opus VII as a spice warehouse where children celebrate colorful Holi festivities, strewing each other with different spices instead of colored powder.

It appears that the notion of the color black, after being used by multiple luxe simulacras (Bijan Black for men, Gucci Guilty Black, Banana Republic Black Walnut, Byredo Black Saffron) has came back to the basics commanded by Pascal Morabito Or Black. Black once again means tar, coal, cade oil, smoke and soot—the infernal ball. Opus VII is one of the "real" black scents, together with Naomi Goodsir Bois d`Ascese, Comme des Garcons Black, Andrea Maack Coal and some others.

Serguey Borisov Serguey Borisov has been known in the Internet world of perfume under the nickname moon_fish for more than 10 years. Now he writes about perfumes for GQ.ru and Vogue.ru, and contributes on the subject for glossy magazines.