The name Fredrik Thordendal is well known to all fans of MESHUGGAH – one of the most inspiring technical metal bands ever to emerge on the scene. Fredrik was one of the founders of the group and contributed greatly to its enormous success. In 1997 he took some time off from Meshuggah and concentrated on a solo project which he called FREDRIK THORDENDAL’S SPECIAL DEFECTS. Under that flag he released the album Sol Niger Within – a frantic, yet fascinating outpouring of musical dementia. Metal Mind productions presents the exclusive reissue of the album that invites you for a trip to the edge of sanity and beyond…

The lyrical content of Sol Niger Within was based on such themes as death, UFO, the afterlife and destruction of the universe. Fredrik explained his influences in an interview for Fuzz magazine in 1997: “I don't listen to much that to other music, so almost all of my inspiration comes from movies I've seen. I'm a UFO-freak and enjoy movies like ‘The X-files’, ‘Twin Peaks’ and Burroughs' ‘The Naked Lunch’.”

He also gave an insight to the album’s concept: “We had this idea that the record would describe a person’s journey through psychosis. But with an alternative perspective of what a psychosis is. Petter Marklund has his own theory on how everything in the universe is built and through this psychosis you can go along and see what he sees, which is true. A close friend of mine experienced a stress psychosis for a period of two months, but could tell exactly what he had experienced afterwards. The society sees psychosis as a state of sickness, but I’m not sure if it’s that simple. What if it’s the exact opposite, that the state of psychosis is an opening to a bigger reality. It’s interesting that everyone that has experienced a psychosis tells about similar experiences.”

Nearly all the elements of Sol Niger Within were recorded by Thordendal himself, apart from the drums, which were handled by Morgan Ågren. The result was a 44-minute feast of instrumental madness (full of Thordendal’s trademark odd-meter riffing and bizarre solos), backed by demon-like vocals and an intense rhythmic section. Thordendal managed to join all the best elements of metal, jazz-fusion, ambient and experimental music into one epic masterpiece showcasing pure musical genius. “This is exactly what I want to do” – stated Thordendal in 1997. “I want to provoke and do something different. Why shouldn’t you do something that you really want to do?”

Sol Niger Within was officially released under the moniker Fredrik Thordendal’s Special Defects in 1997 through Ultimate Audio Entertainment. The album met with a very good reception among metal fans, however many people found it difficult to truly comprehend this material. Packed with gritty ideas and complex instrumental passages (including church organ and saxophone bits), the LP proved to be one of the most avant-garde metal releases ever to emerge on the metal scene.

The new digipak edition of the album is limited to 2000 copies. Remastered using tube technology, digitally edited on a golden disc. Metal Mind productions set up the release date for October 11th in Europe and December 7th in USA (via MVD).

Fredrik Thordendal’s Special Defects - Sol Niger Within (remastered) tracklist:

'The Beginning Of The End Of Extraction (Evolutional Slow Down)'

'The Executive Furies Of The Robot Lord Of Death'

'Descent To The Netherworld'

'...Och Stjärnans Namn Var Malört'

'Dante's Wild Inferno'

'I, Galactus'

'Skeletonization'

'Sickness And Demoniacal Dreaming'

'UFOria'

'Z1- Reticuli'

'Transmigration Of Souls'

'In Reality All Is Void'

'Krapp's Last Tape'

'Through Fear We Are Unconscious'

'Death At Both Ends'

'Bouncing In A Bottomless Pit'

'The Sun Door'

'Painful Disruption'

'Vitamin K Experience (A Homage To The Scientist/John Lilly)'

'Cosmic Vagina Dentata Organ'

'Sensorium Dei'

'Magickal Theatre .33.'

'Z2- Reticuli'

'De Profundis'

'Existence Out Of Joint'

'On A Crater's Verge'

'Solarization'

'The End Of The Beginning Of Contraction'

'Tathagata'