CARNER
VOLCANO

2018

Bulgarian Rose
Ginger
Nutmeg

Patchouli
frankincense
Cypriol

Oud
Benzoin
Labdanum
Vetiver

Earlier I reviewed Carner’s Rose & Dragon, which was pleasant, but not exciting. With dragon in the name and it being part of the Black collection (which is more expensive), I expected it to pack a punch. Instead, it was a jammy, fruity rose with a suede backdrop and the animalics were toned all the way down. I said then, that I had hopes of Volcano delivering on what I expected. And in some ways it does, in some it doesn’t.

Volcano is a semi-dark, but mainly sweeter take on rose; with notes like oud, labdanum, nutmeg, benzoin and frankincense. In short; to my nose it delivers on what you’d expect based on the notes, but I again expected it to be darker based on the name; a little bit more challenging maybe. What I really like about this composition are the resins; the incense vibe is there, but it’s a semi-sweet one. Cypriol is a listed note that I think makes a world of difference here. It makes the overall scent quite earthy. The rose itself seems to be on the brighter, slightly sourish, feminine side, but it’s almost overpowered by an earthy (and also woody) scent. While I definitely prefer this rose over the fruity one in Rose & Dragon, it’s far from being among my favorite rose notes. There’s something in the DNA that keeps this from being a fragrance that I really like, and it’s the same DNA that’s in Rose & Dragon. Volcano feels like the brother of Rose & Dragon, but not the one that your mother warned you about. I’ts on the safe side.

If you’re looking for a sweet resinous rose with a smokey edge; this could be for you. In my opinion, it’s not the most exciting and it’s also on the high side when it comes to pricing. I really like Carner overall, but I have mixed feelings on the Black line so far; with Sandor 70’s being amazing, Volcano being okay and Rose & Dragon being below overage.