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.

The lyrical content of "Sol Niger Within" was based on such themes as death, UFO, the afterlife and destruction of the universe. 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 11th October in Europe and 7th December in USA (via MVD).

Source: www.MetalMind.Com