Reviewed by MJBrady on 13 May 2002

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The transition from six-string violinist Joe Deninzon's first cd Electric/Blue, to this cd The Adventures of Stratospheerius are very obvious. One reason is the use of vocals, another reason is the use of scratching and dubbing but so much in the hip-hop vein, but the biggest reason for my ears is the addition of Alex Skolnicks' fantastic guitar contributions. Alex was once a heavy metal shredder gigging with bands like Testament, Megadeth, Slayer, Judas Priest, White Zombie, Savatage, & Ozzy Osbourne, he found himself getting more attracted to Miles Davis' music and began a learning exploration into the fusion realm, he is also a charter member of Attention Deficit along with Michael Manring, and the TransSiberian Orchestra, as well as persuing his solo efforts. But enough of the Alex Skolnick bio, I really wanted to focus on his great guitar work on this cd, which by the way is Joe Deninzon's. Although this cd does borrow from some radical elements, the fusioin of these parts makes for a very unique sound. Joe's first album could almost be described as a tribute to the legends of fusion violin. Here on TAOS, he explores the far side of genre blending, which makes for an entirely new spin on the word fusion. Try to imagine these styles concocted into one: Miles Davis, Stray Cats, Dregs, Jean Luc Ponty, Sting, Public Enemy, Didier Lockwood, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and more. These are but a few of the influences that I picked up on as I went through this eclectic fusion affair. Joe is an extraordinary violinist, in the league of both Ponty and Lockwood and his willingness to go well outside the norm for contemporary influences is even more apparent on this cd than Electric/Blue, where he plays off the influences of the fusion genre and those violin greats. For me the highlights are the instrumental songs, which most songs on the cd are, as he has a nice compliment of musicians other than Skolnick, that make significant contributions, the interaction of his melodical sense with the bands backdrop gives the songs real personality, and when the opportunity presents itself, both he and Skolnick shine as soloists, with very aggressive yet passionate touch. Another nice cd by this upstart talent from Ohio, I am hoping that Joe Deninzon keeps following his inner voice that is directing him into the more innovative fusion territories.