THE SUN THROUGH A TELESCOPE & ALASKAN. TOGETHER AT LAST!

Been a pretty quiet summer for TSTAT but that doesn't mean that things haven't been in the works, okaaay?!?!? To wit, here are the results of Ottawa sludge/doom pros ALASKAN asking me to collaborate with them on a track to be featured a split release with CO-PILOT (Texas).

ALASKAN/TSTAT COLLAB! CLiCK HERE!!!

I'm also planning on releasing an online single within the next week or so. It'll be digital only and FREE, FREE, FREE! I'll post a link to my bandcamp site when it's up there. In the meantime, peep the cover art! Done up by my always amazing art-slave cousin and STREET MEAT bandmate Elena Chiara Palanza (with a picture taken from DEATH RAINBOWS and used with kind permission).

THE SUN THROUGH A TELESCOPE featured on GRINDING AFTERMATH - a free downloadable compilation -

So. Over at AMERICAN AFTERMATH, you got Ross. Then there's GRIND TO DEATH, where you got Alex (I picture them both renting out office space where they run their respective blogs. I'm sure this is the case).

These 2 dudes share at least one thing in common (at least one thing that I can confirm). They were both cool enough to throw a promotional bone my way. A fact for which I am eternally grateful. Seriously, all the bloggers and reviewers who have been kind enough to do up a review, share their thoughts, provide download links - it's amazing. It's making a world of difference as far as TSTAT listenership goes.

Anyways. These guys have pooled their resources and put together a FREE grindcore compilation of EPIC proportions. Seriously, the tracklist on this thing is like a who's who of the grindcore A-list (as far as I'm concernced, at least). Brutal Truth, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Fuck the Facts, Weekend Nachos, Rotten Sound, Kill the Client.....the list goes on. 69 tracks in all! THE PRIEST WITH ONE BLACK HAND, the one song of mine (so far) that is a grindcore qualifier, is also featured. Can't thank these guys enough for including me. They had nothing to gain and everything to lose by associating my stinky rottenness with their sweet hyperblasts. Merci.

Here is the link to follow in order to download the comp: CLICK HERE!

Guess what? Yes, more reviews.

I really only ever write an update when a few more reviews roll in. It's all this "band" really has going for itself, at this point. Which is fine by me!!! Anytime I even start to consider the possibility of playing live shows with this stuff, I get stressed. Maybe later, definitely not now. Anyways, check these out...

JOSÉ'S BAND OF THE WEEK - Now THIS is a HUGE get for me. This particular column is affiliated with the cyber-version of none other than TERRORIZER magazine. That's pretty sweet. Mr. José Carlos Santos himself was nice enough to give my music the time of day in the following article. He has ascertained that I am "disturbed". Fair enough. You know who isn't disturbed? Any given member of the band Disturbed. CLICK HERE!

The remaining 2 reviews both come from grind-based music blogs, were both written by writers who were a little hesitant at first because my stuff isn't very grindy, and both came out the very same day. The possibility of a Polka-Roo/the male host of the Polka Dot Door type situation just became very real.

GRIND TO DEATH - Great blog by a great British bloke. I follow him on Twitter now. I really appreciate that he stepped outside of his comfort zone and gave my stuff a shot. Very cool. Good article. CLICK HERE!

GRIND AND PUNISHMENT - The grindcore community feels it is my time to be heard. They have spoken. Actually, this article contains the very first instances of some constructive criticism for yours truly. Which is just all right by me. Pobody's Nerfect. CLICK HERE!

More Reviews! TSTAT is getting so MAJOR!

THAT'S HOW KIDS DIE - I really love this blog in particular. From the perspective of one man (Josh), there are many great insights into the current state of metal to be found within. Plus, he can be really mean and sarcastic which is always awesome (if you're funny, which he also is). This particular article outlines the steam-roller effect a website as awesome as Bandcamp can have over the laughably mismanaged sitting duck that is Myspace. He was nice enough to include a link to my bandcamp page in said article (along with several other bands worth checking out). Thanks Josh! CLICK HERE!

HEAVY PLANET - I'm pretty sure this blog is somehow affiliated with THE SODA SHOP which is a pretty major stoner/doom blog. In a regular feature titled "New Band to Burn One To" (sure), this writer asks the question "Is this new-age music for metalheads?". Could be, could be. CLICK HERE!

RESONANCITY - A Toronto-based music blog. I love the comparisons to the frostbitten Norwegian musical climate (though, for the record, my shit is more of an "autumn" vibe). This is also probably the one and only time you'll ever see the word "political" in connection to any music I'm responsible for. Or maybe not! It's out of my hands now. CLICK HERE!

Another batch of reviews/write-ups from the Heavy Metal Bloggers out there

HEAVY BOOTS MUSIC - Nice lil writeup. They recently relocated to Tumblr. CLICK!

GOOD MORNING METAL - I like metal in the morning too. Slayer, mostly. CLICK!

DOOMMANTIA - REALLY in-depth review! This writer pointed things out that even I had not noticed before. Very cool. CLICK!

THE HEAVIEST MATTER OF THE UNIVERSE - Named after a song by Gojira (who I kind of like, sort of sometimes...) CLICK!

It's really cool and weird to read what complete strangers think of this stuff. I'm so used to virtually every note of music I come up with staying mainly within the vicinity of my own personal headspace. It's been literally 20 years that I've been playing music and it's just as weird now as it would have been the day I first picked up a pair of drumsticks: someone other than myself having an actual opinion of something I came up with.

NERD

2 more reviews of ORANGE & GREEN/BLACK

Blog power is rearing its noble head once again. And with it, brings.....reviews! Of my stuff. Reviews.....FAVOURABLE! Fantastic. Can't thank these guys enough for helping to spread the word on my own personal Drone/Doom schizophrenia. I can literally see the results of it on Bandcamp, LastFM....anyways. The reviews!

DISORDERLY CONDUCT (a metal blog based in Norway - home of Black Metal and burning churches) CLICK! (scroll down the page about a quarter of the way for the review)

NOIZINE (a metal/hardcore/experimental blog from Greece - home of food that I fucking love to eat)
CLICK!

2 new reviews of ORANGE & GREEN/BLACK

It's funny. Around Christmas time, I sent out about 30 odd requests for reviews to different music blogs in hopes that maybe a couple of them would throw Street Meat (another one of my bands) a bone. Not surprisingly, the indifference was overwhelming. Not one response, not even a polite "fuck off". Makes sense to me. I probably wouldn't bother either. But then I don't purport to give the impression that I'm in the habit of giving a shit about other people and their various endeavors.

Last night, I sent about 13 similar requests to various metal blogs begging for the same sort of exposure for The Sun Through a Telescope. Not 12 hours later, 5 responses received and 2 REVIEWS already posted!!!! Incredible. Just goes to show that metal dudes are infinitely cooler than pretentious indie-rock dorks. That's completely fair, right? Anyways, check out these reviews. They are fantastic and totally appreciated.

This is Book's Music: CLICK HERE!


American Aftermath: CLICK HERE!