HAMADRYAD „Intrusion”

Music: Jazz Fusion/Progressive Rock
Website: www.hamadryadmusic.com
Duration: 61:48 minutes (9 songs)
Country: Canada

I got the considerable package sent by Canadian label Unicorn Digital, which releases wide comprehended progressive music… Accidentally I chose the album “Intrusion” of group HAMADRYAD. This is already the fourth release of this team. From some time I place the first steps on field of progressive music and I don't know this band completely…

HAMADRYAD presented until nine works which have over one hour of music. The title of the album creates associations with aggressive invasion but the music rather belongs to the more calm (from point of view of old Metal fan). Though this calmness rather is provisional, because the compositions of HAMADRYAD are very replete of the instrumental-vocal expressions. In this music something still happens. The multitude of subjects are here mainly created by the motifs of keyboards-guitar formed by the various sounds of the keyboard instruments (in Jazz style, with the Hammond organ, the piano, the melotron and with different very climatic sounds) as well as by the guitar subjects (the complex Jazz solos, the classic passages and the chords as well as the heavier Rock riffs) and by the complex work of the bass guitar and the drums (with complex and variable rhythms in Jazz style). The singing with pretty calm tone (sometimes with the bursts of passion) and the backing singers often accompany these rich arrangements. Though sometimes you will hear the whispers, the recitations to music and even the sharper vocals and the growling here …

HAMADRYAD is progressive team which tries to unite masterly and technical ideas with mood and emotions. Though I think, that the musicians more concentrated on the technical side of the arrangements in which masterly skills are showed (and the play requires considerable skill and concentration). This causes that the musicians don't fall in “emotional oblivion” because the change of subjects and the intensity of works is often replete of various kinds of sounds and motifs… Additionally the long solo expressions sometimes appear here and there. And it is typical for the jazz skirmishes among the individual instruments.

The climate of “Intrusion” is very melancholic, cosmic, sometimes fabulous or else grotesque also psychedelic, lightly dark and even folk there and here. And accordingly the material also is very complex from climatic side… HAMADRYAD created the progressive fusion of Jazz, Hard Rock with small traces of Funk and Metal.

note: 9.0/10

Tracklist

1. Funk-A-Trunk
2. Pray To My God
3. Lap Of Love
4. Sentenced
5. Here And Now
6. In My Country
7. Torture Zone
8. Lost
9. Liar

Line-up

J-Phil Major: Vocals
J-F Desilets: Bass & Vocals, Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar
Denis Jalbert: Guitars
Sebastien Cloutier: Organ & Synthesizer
Nicolas Turcotte: Drums & Percussion