Names of things can be double edged swords. It can set your expectations higher than they maybe should be. They can also be an elegant intro to something surprising. As an avid Star Wars fan and reader of epic fantasy a perfume called Dark Lord conjures up Stygian depths swirling with portent from which Darth Vader strides with lightsaber glowing. Not sure any perfume can live up to that, but I found By Kilian Dark Lord to have some of that villain we love to hate lurking in it.
Kilian Hennessy
Kilian Hennessy has enjoyed making perfumes which tend to the darker side of the fragrance spectrum. It is one reason the brand is successful because he has created a brand identity around embracing those styles. There have been so many of those it becomes a bit difficult to not be self-reverential to a previous release when working on a new one. Working with perfumer Alberto Morillas common themes of the past like rum, leather, and vetiver are re-combined into Dark Lord.
Alberto Morillas
M. Morillas has had some of his most successful collaborations in the niche world working with M. Hennessy. He produced Musk Oud and Eternal Oud in the Arabian Nights collection along with one of the best perfumes in the line in Good Girl Gone Bad. They know how to make perfume in the darkness.
I think regular readers must be tired of my pointing out the versatility of Szechuan pepper in perfumery. I am going to do it again because M. Morillas marries it to bergamot which brings out the fruity grace note in the pepper while also providing a shimmering warm effect, too. A fantastic leather accord comes next. This is not biker jacket leather. This is the leather jacket of a James Bond villain; smelling of wealth and refinement. A background of jasmine adds a bit of Luciferian contrast. Next comes a rich burnt sugar-like rum accord. The Kilian line of perfume has had a number of rum accords this one is scorched with a bit of brimstone to differentiate it. It all ends in a field of vetiver and patchouli as you strike a deal at the crossroads.
Dark Lord has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage.
As I said at the beginning Dark Lord has a name to live up to. It might not actually make me think of Darth Kilian but it does smell of dubious deeds agreed to in the darkness.
Disclosure; This review is based on a sample supplied by By Kilian.
–Mark Behnke
