Fredrik Thordendal’s Special Defects

Sol Niger Within Version 333 (Relapse)
by Tim Den

Crazy. Just fucking crazy. Like being lost in a maze with melting walls, Sol Niger Within Version 3.33 constantly morphs, reboots, and deteriorates. It does so in technical ecstasy, with off-times and hallucinogenic instruments flying right into your eye sockets. Man, that’s painful. Fredrik Thordendal has really proven himself to be much more than just a part of the breath-taking machine known as Meshuggah; he has distinguished himself as a master conductor of sounds. With 28 songs that flow into each other without stopping, this album is what dreams would sound like if they were translated into music. In “Zeta 1 – Reticuli,” the soundscapes almost sound like a futuristic Cynic. In other words, it sounds like fusion jazz run through a mega-distortion pedal while being spat out by an acid-inflicted Galvatron. While others have pursued such avant-garde tinkerings, very few have managed to make it listenable. Thordendal, however, has not only made a bold and artistic album, he has given it the greatest of merits: the ability to entertain. I’m going to put this on as I go to sleep tonight, and dream of idiots falling on their faces trying to dance to it.
(PO Box 251 Millersville, PA 17551)