“Your project sounds very interesting. Very—very few records have been made as lacquer and DMM—and I can’t think of one that was made available to the public as a choice. This is very provocative idea.”

— mastering engineer SCOTT HULL

We've hinted that the vinyl edition of Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects' Sol Niger Within might harbor one or more surprises. After finally getting approval from Fredrik and mastering engineer Scott Hull, we can now announce them. Husaria will be pressing two variants--500 copies from plates made from lacquer discs cut by Mr. Hull at Masterdisk, and 500 from copper discs cut with Direct Metal Mastering. While both versions come from the same original audio, each will offer listeners enough in the way of nuanced differences to make it unique. To the best of our knowledge, this release marks the first time in history that a label has given people the option of choosing between two pressing techniques. You're welcome.

Just to sweeten the deal (and help drive completists into a spending frenzy), each variant will have slightly different artwork--to the extent that everything except the front and back covers--eight pieces of art counting gatefold and inserts (mostly handpicked by Fredrik himself)--will be switched around in complementary ways. Both versions will also include two essays--one by Scott Hull discussing the technical aspects of the vinyl edition, and one by Octarine Communications West (aka R Joseph Lee/Rod Smith) exploring some of the release's musical and metaphysical aspects.

The pre-orders will be announced very soon!!!!

Full specs:

- catalog number HR33

- edition of 1000--two variants: 500 units "Scott Hull cut" and 500 units "DMM cut”

- 200-220 gram discs pressed on the audiophile quality virgin black vinyl compound

- triple gatefold three-pocket jackets (with blood inner black print)

- cut at 45 RPM for best fidelity,

- black poly lined inner sleeves,

- mastering by Scott Hull at Masterdisk--500 copies from lacquers cut by Scott Hull at Masterdisk with high-end matte finish triple-gatefold jackets; 500 copies Direct Metal Mastering cut at GZ Media with gloss finish triple-gatefold jackets

- layouts by Seldon Hunt

- technical essay by Scott Hull

- speculative essay by Octarine Communications West/R Joseph Lee/Rod Smith

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!

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