Perfume Calligraphy Aramis 2012

Dark, heavy, massive. Perfume Calligraphy is liquid Heavy Metal: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Blind Guardian. During my first test of this perfume, I had expected something more elegantly Arabic, mentally led in a different direction by the beautiful script on the bottle. In reality, however, the scent is not playful and light, but equipped with everything that gives perfumes a heavy, long-lasting, deep tone: myrrh, oud, patchouli, rose, spices. And all of this in an intensity that is unmatched.

Heavy Metal is not meaningless noise, but virtuoso music that is perceived not only through the head but also through the gut. It conveys a cathartic experience, an adrenaline rush that, in combination with volume and characteristic rhythm, can have a liberating effect and evoke a hard-to-explain sense of well-being. Those who have not experienced this live will not be able to understand it. While jazz particularly addresses the intellect, classical music manages to bridge the gap between mind and feeling, Heavy Metal (and connoisseurs know that it would actually be better to refer to it simply as Metal instead of Heavy Metal as an umbrella term) primarily unfolds through the gut, through a feeling of music.

Calligraphy addresses emotions with such force that one might even accuse it of being somewhat clumsily composed. The now much-quoted combination of rose and oud, spices and patchouli can also be found in other fragrances and has become somewhat worn in its effect.

However, in this scent, all components shine through so directly, clearly, and intensely that one might think of the clear contour between black and white areas, perhaps also the contour between the gold and black on the bottle. Each component stands out sharply and strongly from the others. Oud and rose are easily recognizable, as are patchouli and cinnamon, myrrh and cardamom. It’s as if the components stand next to each other, mixed yet separate, intertwined but distinguishable, like the streaks of liquids that do not mix, like oil and water.

Of course, the mentioned fragrance accents create an effect that evokes thoughts of Arabian nights, of scents from a bazaar or the seraglio, but ultimately the combination in this fragrance is stronger, heavier, darker than in comparable other perfumes with Arabic tones.

Among the fragrance sisters that bear more or less resemblance to this scent is Armani Rose d‘Arabie, which I consider similarly successful, but would never associate with Heavy Metal. And this is certainly due to the fact that in Rose d‘Arabie the rose note (along with other floral notes) is more distinctly perceptible, thus making the feminine aspect of the fragrance stand out more clearly than in Calligraphy, which comes across as somewhat more masculine, pronounced, and heavier.

One might consider the comparison between Heavy Metal and a fragrance to be bold. However, it is so obvious to me because during one of my last tests, this very music was playing in the background and intertwined with a melange of scent, sounds, and feelings that, unusually, did not evoke clear memories or associations like many other perfumes, but remained symbolic, like the beautiful Arabic script on the Calligraphy bottle, resonating in my gut long after.