Revenant Rhythm

[Ina Garten Davita]

A tousled, sexy mix of patchouli, vanilla, and hemp.

[torikitty]

This is so good! It's the got sweet patchouli that I was wanting, similar to Lush's Lord of Misrule. It's strong, and hangs around all day. LOVE!

[supreme_c0rt]

Ok. Now I understand the fuss. This is a damn near perfect dark vanilla and black patchouli blend. It's simple, straightforward, and steady.

 

The patch is of the gnarly type found in Goblin (the similarly between the two is striking and will come as a relief when this limited edition vanishes again). It's admittedly my least favorite patch type, but the way it's presented here is mind-changing and masterful. The grittiness of the patchouli becomes the entire reason this works, and makes what might be an overly simple vanilla an evocative, sexy, intoxicating work of art. The hemp is similar to the one in Rogue (if you can tease it out), giving it an earthy, glowy backbone.

 

The mood is undeniably urban-bohemian, effortlessly magnetic. Touseled is a great way to put it. Penny Lane. Lisa Bonet. Beachy waves and rooftop jams. Yeah... It's clear why Urban Outfitters sold this back in the day. 

 

A little goes a long way (thankfully). The throw is perfect and consistent and lasts all day with no fuss or wild moods. 

 

So glad the lab re-released this grail and I was able to snag some. 

[zombiewench]

When I'd tried this years ago in its 'BB' incarnation, it was unwearable for me.  Since then, I've had kids, and my chemistry has changed enough that I've had to switch out almost all my oils.  Now?  Patch LOVES me, and this scent is freaking amazing.  It's like patchouli and vanilla got together and had an ice cream baby, with hemp toppings   At first the vanilla threatens to overtake it all in its ice cream form, but the longer I have it on, the earthier its getting.  So glad I was able to snag a bottle!!  

[Little Bird]

Happily, this scent is exactly the same as when it was called 'Banshee Beat.'  Patchouli can be such a different creature, depending on the variety.  You have your woody, cedar-y patchoulis, the funky, sweaty patchoulis, rooty patchoulis reminiscent of black soil, medicinal patchoulis, and my favorite, which are warm and earthy, but have almost nutty and chocolatey gourmand tones to them.  The patchouli in Banshee Beat / Revenant Rhythm is that warmly earthy, cuddly, gourmand variety.  There's a bit of a mentholic, medicinal, green edge that I think might be the hemp and not the patchouli, but it works for me in this blend.  And then there's a great vanilla that's both thickly sweet and airy, somehow at the same time.  I think it's about 50% patchouli, 40% vanilla, 10% hemp on my skin for about six hours, and then I start wondering what smells like sweet, gooey marshmallows and realize that it's me.  The vanilla is wonderful and really sticks around on my skin.  I wish this were added to the general catalogue because it seems so well loved and sought after.

[milo]

I have the original Banshee Beat, and this is pretty spot on, except a bit grittier, so maybe the patchouli is more fresh.  Sweet vanilla, hemp and a slight menthol quality, and mostly the slightly gritty patch.  I'm quite sure this one will become just like my beloved BB with a bit of time, but it's still pretty amazing, and I like the twist of a bit more oomph of the untamed patch.

[follis]

So, I finally decided to try this and see what all the fuss was about. I was around when Banshee Beat first came out but patchouli had never been my thing until I realised BPAL's patchouli is actually really nice.
Wet: Definitely a blend. I'm not sure how I feel about the hemp yet as a perfume, but it does all smell quite nicely together. Unique in that it is earthy, slightly sweet and almost piney/resinous at the same time.
On: On me, the hemp starts to read as mint. I'm really not a fan of minty scents, so I'm hesitating on whether I like this or not. The darker, earthy vanilla is really lovely, however. After a while the hemp morphs and seems smokier. There's also a sweetness from a creamy, ice-cream like vanilla on the edges which I really like.
Dry down: Yeh ok it's nice! I am officially a fan of RR. I love the creamy vanilla and the slight darkness to it from the patchouli. The hemp is not minty at all any more, and perhaps is aiding in the good throw of this scent-- it brightens it whilst remaining a dark warm scent.
1 hour: After an hour it's still going strong. Wafts of hemp occasionally comes up briefly but the dark vanilla is forefront here and absolutely divine. 
4+ hours later: It really does have a long wear, but the throw is now short. It reads mostly as earthy vanilla on me still. I am definitely happy to have a bottle, but fortunately I won't be needing more. I hope the hemp mellows as it ages, however... and if it does we might be in trouble  

[Madame Mew]

I've never tried BB so I can't compare to the OG. 

 

I was on the waitlist back when this came available in September, and I had zero funds so I missed out. Only later did I find out it's the same thing and definitely was knocking myself even more for not making that happen. Recently joined the FB Sales page and stumbled upon someone selling a few decants along with RR HG, and I was hooked and was lucky enough to find an unloved bottle!

 

In the bottle, it's a perfect patchouli with creamy mint. Wet on the skin, it sweetens and the vanilla immediately takes over. After about 15 minutes it just gets better and the patchouli is just the most beautiful I've ever come across. It stays for over 8 hours and even after washing with soap it is STILL there. I love this so much. It actually has jumped in front of Silky Bat for me as my daily go-to as a sweet and earthy blend that is right up my alley! That says A LOT. I'll be hunting for more of this. 

Edited April 3, 2020 by Madame Mew

[Mountaingrrl00]

Cuddly vanilla is the main thing here. The patchouli never really comes forward for me, just grounds the scent and makes it last. I love the addition of woodsy hemp, not an everyday perfume note, making this simple scent a little unusual but very warm and comforting. It's just the kind of thing I want to wear to feel cozy on a winter day.

 

Oh, and the decant I have is very similar to my bottle of BB, though maybe RR is a little more vanilla and BB is a little more patchouli.

[Lucchesa]

A super generous forumite gifted a decant of this to me in a swap. Wow. It is everything it is made out to be. A big, sexy patchouli sweetened with vanilla and all tied together with an organic hemp bow. And it lasts for hours and hours. Perfection.

[lipstickonmyteeth92]

Finally got my hands on a small tester of this (and oh dear gods I wish I had more.) 

 

In imp: Dirty patchouli mixed with a head shop. Reminds me so much of hanging out in Themptations when I was a teenager! 

Wet on skin: Sugar and patchouli (I sort of get a silkybat/hemp vibe from it and I'm absolutely loving it) 

Dry: Super warm, sugary vanilla, sexy patchouli, and smokey hemp just envelops it beautifully. 

 

Absolutely amazing.

Edited July 7, 2021 by lipstickonmyteeth92
missing letter

[Riezky]

Trying this out for the first time, next to Silky Bat and You May House Their Bodies.

 

Compared to Silky Bat - Similar on the earthy patch. Warm full-bodied vanilla sweetness in RR vs Silky Bat's sugar.

 

Compared to You May House - a bit earthier, vanilla is more prominent. You May House has a "cleaner" woodsy patch and less substantial vanilla (makes me think more vanilla extract vs the substantial chewy vanilla in RR).

[greylen]

With this baby coming back (squeee!) I decided to help beef up its review page.  I remember when this was released as Banshee Beat and the ill-prepared retail outlet that was selling it and all of the ridiculous chaos that ensued. I think I had a bottle from that release but had to go apeshit on ebay for it and I believe I've actually used it up. Most of what I currently have was from the Lab rereleases and of course I got some from the most recent rerelease.

 

Patchouli and vanilla are among my favorite notes on the whole so I knew it would be a winner. Dare I call RR Snake Oil's hippie cousin?  I think I do. It blooms so gloriously on my skin in the same way as Snake Oil.

 

The 2025 Lab-fresh RR definitely has more of a "green" scent poking through the heavy patch and vanilla, but not cannabis-y at least to my nose and my stoner ass knows what weed smells like LOL. Some other scents that have a cannabis note (Hippie Ghost, some of the previous 420 offerings) it is VERY true, like almost toooo good. But this is HEMP like the way hemp rope smells, none of the skunkiness. The Body Shop's hemp line has this patchouli-ish but also fresh/green vibe and fresh RR reminds me of that (but much more nuanced), because the vanilla hasn't gotten dank and syrupy and deepened from aging.

 

I own several bottles of BB and RR (not as many as our 27 bottle gal!) as well as the RR hair gloss and atmo and bath oil. I think I love it just a little.

 

It has sillage like whoa and lasts on the skin forever, so bear that in mind if you're trying to go for low-fragrance, this ain't your best choice!

Edited April 24 by greylen

[lithie]

I want to preface this review with the fact that this bottle just arrived yesterday.

 

I have half a bottle of revenant rhythm hair gloss that I got second hand a year or so ago. Smelling this and the hg side by side to compare: the patchouli is the same, but fresh the perfume is heavier on the hemp than the vanilla.  The vanilla starts to make an appearance after an hour or so of wear, but it's pretty gentle and doesn't have that rich quality the aged hair gloss has. I'm hoping it develops with some rest!
 

Even so, this is still really lovely. The hemp and vanilla take the edge off the patch. The patch and hemp combine to give it a soft earthy quality (rather than gritty or sharp, as can happen with patchouli).

 

eta: after several hours of wear what was left on my arm was much closer to what my hg smells like. So I think this just needs time to rest and age to develop 🤗

Edited Sunday at 03:05 AM by lithie

[Akurarei]

Revenant Rhythm (2025 Version)

 

At first application, this immediately makes me think of MUGLER's Angel perfume.

Once it dries down a little, it smells like something dirty/unclean and a dollop of vanilla.

To me, this scent is weird - not sure if I like it, TBH

 

update - after about 30 minutes this one gave me a splitting headache and turned my stomach...I could not get this one off my skin fast enough!

A very, very rare total & complete BPAL bust for me!

Edited Tuesday at 07:37 PM by Akurarei
review update

[LavenderCoffee]

Ok I am on the hype train, I really love this. Excellent balance of the notes, not too dank on the patch side and not too sweet/too vanilla. There is a gentle earthy sweetness to the blend, but nothing like Silky Bat, for example. The hemp I think helps ground the notes and maybe tames the patch, it's not reminding me of the lab's cannabis at all. I thought I could not hang (sorry) with the hemp in Hanging Johnny from the Fire Down Below collection, but now I suppose it was just the interplay of notes in that particular blend.

Anyway this is perfect. It has the perfect amount of throw, in that I feel like I'm wearing the scent and the scent is not wearing me. Magnetic, gender neutral, lasts and lasts.