Guilty of Innocence 4-star Review in Progression Magazine
Four-Star Review of joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius album, “Guilty of Innocence” by Progression Magazine!
CRITICS RAVE ABOUT “GUILTY OF INNOCENCE!”
DEC, 2017 REVIEW BY Strings Magazine
With herky-jerky momentum, the sinister yet jolly “Behind the Curtain” kicks o Joe Den-inzon & Stratospheerius’ exhilarating fifth album Guilty of Innocence. Chunky guitars, a battery of drums, and a seesawing Jacob’s lad- der of electric violin battle for supremacy as Deninzon’s piercing tenor equates American exceptionalism with the fraudulent Wizard of Oz. e metaphor has been employed before, but seldom with such panache.
Deninzon has been called the Jimi Hen- drix of electric violin, and that comparison seems apt on “Dream Diary Cadenza,” an excerpt of Deninzon’s solo concerto, where his violin swoops, howls, and dive bombs amid quickening arpeggios.
Elsewhere, Deninzon nods to Jean-Luc Ponty and George Clinton’s Funkadelic while charting an eccentric course that conjoins whiplash funk, spacey electronic, and pro- gressive rock. Vocals adopt a snarky tone, but the lyrics convey anything but cynicism. Deninzon is a moralist raising an alarm and pointing out insanity.
“Take Your Medicine,” a revenge fantasy aimed at scam artists, entangles Deninzon’s hyperkinetic bowing and a rubbery bass line in a muscular groove. The set’s title track lambasts the United States court system with squawking guitar, wiseacre lyrics, and Den- inzon’s dust-devil ostinatos.
On “Face,” coiled percussion, crunchy gui- tars, and whirlpooling violin entangle in a grand slalom of power chords, syncopation, and distortion. e 12-minute progressive rock epic “Soul Food” reels out vertiginous violin switchbacks, operatic choruses, and pummeling panzer division drums before galloping to a nale that combines crescendo and cacophony.
Splashy and theatrical, Guilty of Innocence is a howl for justice delivered by virtuosos completely in synch with one another. It’s a darkly comic clarion call to combat a u- enza, self-delusion, and the commoditiza- tion of daily life. Otherwise, Deninzon seems to say, we’re just another brick in the mall.
MORE CRITICAL ACCLAIM!
“When you put distorted guitars up against a violin you get magic. When you put a violin solo in a metal song, you get Fucking amazing shit! I love it when artists push the boundaries of what is perceived as the norm….. And I love it even more when it’s pure magic… I tip my hat and bow my head in awe ..”-Act/one Magazine. Read full review HERE
“Stratospheerius music is otherworldly!”They can tear out ear hairs and stomp them flat!…sounding both ahead of the curve and accessible at the same time. ”-#cirdecsongs. (www.proglodytes.com) Read full review HERE
“Guilty of Innocence is not only great, but one of the most hectic and heart-stopping albums I’ve listened to.-Zachary Nathanson
MUSIC FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM
“Joe Deninzon’s virtuosity is undeniable….It’s progressive music that’s not afraid of a catchy chorus. The 12 minute closing track, ”Soul Food” is a well crafted multi-tempo road trip. It ventures into magnum opus territory where 70’s rockers Kansas were at home…”
-Haydn Seek SkeletonPete.com
“Deninzon’s perfect vocal delivery and skills as a violinist. Stratospheerius is as tight as ever and really create a strong organic melody. Bravo! This is music!”
–Warlock Asylum International News
Review of Stratospheerius “Hysteria” on Act/One
https://gustumusic.wixsite.com/actone/single-post/2017/12/01/Joe-Deninzon-Stratospheerius-Hysteria
Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius // Hysteria
December 1, 2017
Johnny Cash – Hurt
Nirvana – The Man Who Sold The World
Jimi Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower..
… Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius – Hysteria
When you put distorted guitars up against a violin you get magic. When you put a violin solo in a metal song, you get F***g amazing shit! That’s all I can say about that..
There is always some danger attached to the task of releasing a cover track.. to be successful the artist must find his or her own way and unique expression. Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius did just that.
It’s amazing and in my book, a thousand times better than the original.
I love it when artists push the boundaries of what is perceived as the norm….. And I love it even more when it’s pure magic, just like Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius did with this cover.
I tip my hat and bow my head in awe ..
Check out the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKp89PxikpQ&feature=youtu.be.
New review of Joe Deninzon's book "Plugging In" in American Strings Journal
PLUGGING IN: A GUIDE TO GEAR AND NEW TECHNIQUES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY VIOLINIST.
Joe Deninzon. Mel Bay, 2012, $32.99
Deninzon, a seven-string electric violin virtuoso, has written a remarkable book, demystifying the technique and technology of the electric violin, Plugging In is intelligently organized, providing necessary information to make music through the electric violin. Deninzon answers many basic questions, e.g.: How do I shop for an electronic violin? What kind of amp should I buy? How do i get this equipment ro work? Deninzon also explores improvisation and specific techniques like “chopping,” “comping,” and using pedal effects. He also includes over sixty different musical examples, a sixty-minute DVD< and seventy-minute CD. Plugging In provides a welcome catalyst towards my goal of joining the twenty-first century.
M.G.K
The Next World review for thecornernews.com by Wildman Steve
http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/music_n_movies/comments/out-of-this-world-album/
http://www.thecornernews.com/index.php/music_n_movies/comments/out-of-this-world-album/
Out of this world album
Wildman Steve
For The Corner News
Published: September 5, 2012 1:32:17 pm
Joe Deninzon is a Russian violinist born to two members of that country’s leading Philharmonic Orchestra. He’s been labeled “The Jimi Hendrix of the Violin” by many, due to his extreme virtuosity on the seven-string electric violin. That’s right—seven strings. His style throughout his career has blended jazz, rock and gypsy music in ways no other could possibly imagine. He’s performed with an amazing array of musicians, including Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen, Phoebe Snow, Everclear, Ritchie Blackmore, Smokey Robinson and Les Paul, just to name a few. He’s also performed as a solo electric violinist with the New York Ballet.
Deninzon leads the band Stratospheerius, who’ve just released their fifth album, “The Next World,” on Steve Vai’s Digital Nations label, and once again shows the world that Russians and Americans can make beautiful and exciting music together. Actually, exciting is too tame a word for this album, as it opens with the astounding “Release,” a smoking progressive rocker that will suck you into this album like an industrial vacuum. What follows is a thrilling array of songs that run the gamut from complex prog tunes to simple ballads, from Zappa-esque epics to alluring soundscapes. Deninzon’s acuity on the violin is multi-faceted and consistently over-the-top amazing, and always deeply musical.
You’ll hear nods to influences like Jean-Luc Ponty, Jerry Goodman, and Dixie Dregs’ Allen Sloane, but through it all Deninzon presents a unique personality and perspective on the violin. “The Next World” is an electrifying album, guaranteed to take you into the stratosphere and beyond.
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