Hamadryad - Conservation Of Mass (2001)

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Hamadryad - Conservation Of Mass (2001)

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Out of Canada comes a new magnificent band named HAMADRYAD with their debut album "Conservation Of Mass". According to the press kit "In classical mythology, the HAMADRYAD was a wood nymph fabled to live and die with the trees to which she was attached. Her mission was to be the link between the mortal and immortal entities." HAMADRYAD is blending Hard Rock with Jazz, Pop and 70's Progressive and Symphonic Rock. They are quite original, but here and there you can hear traces of possible influences. They have vocal harmonies that remind of GENTLE GIANT and SPOCK'S BEARD, and musical arrangements that makes you think of DREAM THEATER, GENESIS, KANSAS, KING CRIMSON, RUSH and UK, but most of all YES. The vocalist Jocelyn Beaulieu reminds of Jon ANDERSON of YES. There are lots of vintage synthesizers such as Hammond B3 and C3, Mellotron and Mini-Moog. The musicians are exceptionally professional and they're performing the intricate compositions with astoundingly perfectionism. But although their technical skills and the lengthy instrumental passages the melodies seems to be the most important thing, because they are really good, almost catchy. This is a very interesting and diverse album with many directions musically. It will keep on spinning in my CD-player for years to come. Perhaps some may find it too challenging, but that's what Progressive Rock is all about. "Conservation Of Mass" is a highly recommended masterpiece that probably will end up as one of the best albums this year!

~ Review by Greger, Progarchives

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Hamadryad - Conservation Of Mass (2001)

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Hamadryad:

Hamadryad is a group of musicians all driven by the same passion: musical creation. Their music tastefully blends progressive and classic rock, with a touch of cinematic vision, taking the listener on a musical adventure. (In classical mythology, the Hamadryad was a wood nymph fabled to live and die with a tree to which she was attached. Her mission was to be the link between the mortal and immortal entities.)

Hamadryad’s musical mission is to take their audience on a journey that transcends passing trends.

Hamadryad loves to reinvents themselves, not two albums have quite the same sound, or the same members. Initially, as a quintet, they released in 2001 “Conservation Of Mass” (UNCR-5002, Unicorn Records). This first effort brought much critical acclaim to the band and assured them of a place in a few "TOP TEN" lists for album of the year. But after the departure of their lead singer, Jocelyn Beaulieu, Hamadryad decided to reinvent itself as a quartet. They started from scratch, trying to find a new sound for the group. The working sessions, where they would rearrange the existing songs, became without planning and unconsciously writing sessions of new music. Jean-François, who already sang one song on the first record and a few covers during shows, took on the role of singer and all gave birth to tons of new ideas.

It is toward the end of the work sessions for the second album, once the majority of the pieces were structured, that their keyboard player, Francis Doucet, announced that he had to quit the band. Not wanting to leave the band in a bad position, he presented to them a talented keyboard player named Sébastien Cloutier. They challenged him to compose a partition for one of the song that was going to be on the album that was to be released only a couple of weeks later and to learn all the keyboard partitions for every song that they were to present at the album launch.

They released “Safe in Conformity” in May 2005 (UNCR-5020, Unicorn Digital). This second album was well received by the public and the critics and opened doors for them to play festivals in both the US and Europe.

In June 2007, still as a quartet, Hamadryad released their first live album, the much anticipated “Live in France” (UNCR-5046, Unicorn Digital). All the songs on this album were performed and recorded in August 2006, at the Crescendo festival in St-Palais-Sur-Mer, France. With it's help, Hamadryad opened for the legendary Deep Purple, at the Bell center in Montreal and the Pavilion de la Jeunesse in Quebec City, and went back to Europe for two memorable shows, one in Switzerland and one in Belgium.

With the unfortunate departure of their drummer, Yves Jalbert, due to personal reasons; Hamadryad decided to reinvent itself once again. They went ahead and hired 2 new members and got back to the quintet formula. By adding lead singer Jean-Philippe Major and drummer Nick Turcotteto the fold, they added even more ingredients to their "sound". Their new album “Intrusion”, due to be released on Unicorn Digital in the autumn of 2009, is an impressive demonstration that this band is in constant evolution and their passion for music has not faded at all.

Hamadryad already has confirmed gigs in Europe and plan to play extensively throughout 2010 to promote this brand new CD.

~ Hamadryad homepage

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Hamadryad - Conservation Of Mass (2001)

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Hamadryad - Conservation Of Mass (2001)

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