The unique musical creation of Fredrik Thordendal, Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects is finally set to properly unveil Sol Niger Within, his solo debut through Husaria Records, available for the first time on vinyl. Initially recorded in 1997 by Fredrik, lead guitarist of celebrated progressive metal legends Meshuggah, this long awaited re-release is a collection of outstanding, powerful, and unorthodox musical arrangements.
Throughout the album’s existence, one format has been notoriously absent - vinyl. Husaria Records showcases unparalleled sound quality with every release - and since Sol Niger Within doesn’t exist in high quality, we are able to truly reintroduce Fredrik Thordendal's masterpiece. It’s first time on vinyl, available to an entirely new audience and in a true audiophile format, listeners will be able to fully experience the album as it’s meant to be heard. Challenging and immersive, the vinyl release of "Sol Niger Within" will be a singular, full-frequency aural assault.
Sol Niger Within has been published several times through the years on five different record labels in five different countries. It was originally released on Morgan Ågren's own label, Ultimate Audio Entertainment (UAE). It would go on to see limited edition CDs released through Relapse Records, Nuclear Blast Records, Avalon, Metal Mind Productions, with a cassette version through Morbid Noizz. Each version had been slightly modified from the original masters - some had a different mix and mastering, others had bonus tracks.
Over the years, the album has garnered a significant amount of attention, especially from Meshuggah’s fans, and quickly became an underground classic. Self-produced, many of the instruments were played by Fredrik himself, as well. Drum parts were given to an outstanding percussionist and fellow Swede, Morgan Ågren. Known from his involvement in countless projects, in particular his astonishing and rare approach to composition in his Mats/Morgan Band (Matts Öberg also appears on one of the songs), Ågren provided a superior, enriched sound and audibly intensified the album's multi-dimensionality.
On this record Fredrik has been afforded the freedom to dive deeper into his own songwriting, creating musical arrangements that act as extension of his previous work, while also composing something entirely different. A phenomenon totaling almost 44 minutes, the 29 track album should be considered as a single structure fIlled with mind-bending time signatures; an intense, and intensely interesting listen for the duration of its running time.
Release date will be announced soon.
Stay tuned!