Fredrik Thordendal

Thordendal worked across guitarist and composer. The registers place that work in extreme metal. This article rests on 53 catalogued compositions and 2 issued recordings drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

• Name — Fredrik Thordendal • Born — 11 February 1970 • Origin — Umeå, Sweden • Instrument — Guitar • Genre — * Djent • experimental metal • extreme metal • progressive metal • jazz fusion • Occupation — Musician, songwriter • Current Member Of — Meshuggah

Thordendal began his career when he formed 'Metallien,' a heavily Metallica-influenced band, in his hometown of Umeå in 1985. The band later changed their name to Meshuggah and released their first LP, Psykisk Testbild, in 1989. Starting as a thrash metal band, Meshuggah's music gradually evolved into a more progressive sound. This sound has become influential to other bands, such as Periphery, whose core member, Misha Mansoor, was instrumental in coining the term "Djent" to refer to the commonly utilized technique of playing heavily muted, extended power chords found in Meshuggah's music. Thordendal has been widely recognized in the metal community for his work with Meshuggah. Sometime in the 90s, before the release of Destroy Erase Improve, Thordendal was involved in a carpentry accident at work in which he cut off the tip of his left middle finger. The fingertip was sewn back on, and after a significant amount of re-learning and practicing, he regained full proficiency on the guitar within a year or so.

Under the name Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects, Thordendal released a solo album in 1997 titled Sol Niger Within with Ultimate Audio Entertainment. The album was remixed and re-released by Ultimate Audio Entertainment and Relapse Records in 1999 under the title Sol Niger Within Version 3.33. The re-release contains two bonus tracks but omits several parts of the original version. The newly mastered version of SNW was also released for the first time on vinyl in 2016 by Husaria Records, an American label specializing in audiophile releases. The album's original material was pressed in both a lacquer cut variant (500 units) and a Direct Metal Mastering variant (500 units). Thordendal also contributed to several tracks for drummer Morgan Ågren's Mats/Morgan Band. Regarding a second Special Defects album, Thordendal states, "It's actually been messing with my head for years now. I haven't really found the time to get the project going. This is a project that I will work on for a longer time, with no rush whatsoever, to make it the best I possibly can. I'm looking forward to making it because I think it will sound so different from anything I've ever heard before."

• Illustration — Thordendal performing in 2012 Thordendal has been involved in numerous side projects, such as XXX Atomic Toejam with Petter Marklund. The project initially released a 7" two-track single titled 'Celebration' under the name Sepülchre Inc. They later adopted the name XXX Atomic Toejam and issued an MCD entitled A Gathering of the Tribes for the First / Last Human Be-In on Cold Meat Industry, as well as featuring a track on the Karmanik Collection compilation. A full-length album was long announced but never materialized. Thordendal also played bass for Petter Marklund's solo project, Memorandum, and, together with Marklund, remixed tracks on the 1995 compilation album Ars Moriendi. In 2010, Thordendal recorded some drum tracks with Morgan Ågren of the Swedish prog-rock band Kaipa and Dirk Verbeuren of Soilwork. Several of Thordendal's demos have been released on the internet as MP3s or as videos on YouTube. Demo 33 was used to demonstrate a MIDI breath controller created by Johan Haake, which is used on several Meshuggah songs, including Future Breed Machine. Thordendal is also a notable producer, having produced all of Meshuggah's recent material as well as releases for various other bands, including Switzerland's Fragment. Thordendal is featured in the Darkane track 'Psychic Pain' from the album Insanity, performing lead guitar. He also contributed to the song 'Asphyxiate,' which can be found on Scarve's album Irradiant. Additionally, he played a guitar solo on the title track of the Devin Townsend Project album Deconstruction. He also contributed to the soundtracks of the video games Wolfenstein: The New Order, released 2014, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, released 2017.

• Illustration — Meshuggah’s guitars used live 2016 Thordendal's current main guitars are custom Ibanez 8-string M8Ms, featuring RG-shaped or Iceman-shaped alder bodies with 5-piece maple/Bubinga neck-thru necks (29.4" scale), rosewood fingerboards (no inlays), fixed bridges (essentially an Ibanez FX-Edge fixed tremolo), one volume, one tone, and a Lundgren Model 8 pickup. The fixed bridge on one of his 8-strings has since been replaced with a Kahler tremolo system. Thordendal also owns a 7-string acoustic guitar, also made by Ibanez. For a time, he used Nevborn guitars, which made Meshuggah their first 8-string guitars. However, these guitars suffered from intonation problems, leading Thordendal to abandon the company and switch exclusively to Ibanez guitars. On the North American tour promoting Koloss, he used a custom Firebird, Iceman, and Explorer-type body 8-string, called the Stoneman. The Stoneman features a 27" scale length, which Thordendal prefers, as mentioned by his tech in an interview with Premier Guitar. This guitar is now in production under the name Ibanez FTM33. Thordendal utilizes a unique device for his leads, referred to as a MIDI breath controller. He states, "I was mainly interested in using it as a dynamics controller. I wanted to start a note at a lower volume and then bring it up, like a saxophonist does. But I've since found that is more or less impossible with a guitar. Since the controller didn't produce the sound I was after, I had to find other ways of using it. It turned out that the only thing that sounded cool was when I blew every single note with it, which generated this weird staccato sound. The first breath controller we made—the one I used on 'Future Breed Machine' and 'Sublevels' from Destroy Erase Improve—could only control the volume. So Johan Haake and I tried all kinds of things to get closer to what I originally wanted, like adding control over frequencies and distortion. I am really pleased with how the 'Missing Time' solo turned out from Sol Niger Within Version 3.33 [the remix CD of the debut album from his side project Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects]. But I never thought we got close enough, so I sort of gave up on it. A couple of years ago it was for sale to the public, but not any more". Tuning: For early Meshuggah releases, Thordendal tuned his 7-string guitars to B♭ (a half step below standard 7-string tuning). He continued this approach with 8-string guitars, tuning them down to F (F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, B♭, E♭). In an interview, it was explained that they tuned their guitars this way because, in the early days of Meshuggah, before Jens Kidman adopted his signature vocal style, it was easier for him to sing in the key of E♭ or B♭. Occasionally, Thordendal deviates from this "standard" tuning. For example, on songs like "Glints Collide," "Organic Shadows," "Perpetual Black Second," "The Hurt That Finds You First," and "Stengah," he tunes his 8-string guitar a half step lower to E. He also tunes it to E♭ for "Nebulous" and "Shed," and even down to D for "Obsidian." On "Spasm," he tunes the lowest string down to B♭ (B♭, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, B♭, E♭), making the 8th string an octave below the 7th. Additionally, "Mind's Mirrors" features the 8th string tuned down to E0. Guitar strings: DR Strings, Tite-Fit, LH-9 'Lite & Heavy' set: [.009 –.011 –.016 –.026 –.036 –.046], with additional gauges of.052 and.070. These are the stock string gauges on the Ibanez M8M signature guitar. Guitar picks: Jim Dunlop 1.3mm Primetone Standard with grip and Jim Dunlop 1.00mm Nylon Standard picks.

• Illustration — Custom-made amp by Mike Fortin, 2016 • Fractal Audio Systems Axe-FX II (used for all clean tones with effects and distorted guitar tones with effects) • Fortin custom Meshuggah Amp (Single Channel, 50-Watt, no effects loop, custom-designed power transformers; ground-up custom build with turret board construction and point-to-point wiring; first used at the live show on 30 October 2016 in Toronto) • Two Notes Torpedo Live • Fortin custom boost pedal (black stompbox pedal with a '33' logo on it)

• Randall Satan (2016) • Fractal Audio AxeFX ULTRA (2010–2016) • Line 6 Vetta II Head Units (2005–2008) • Line 6 POD Pro (2001–2005) • Marshall Valvestate 8200 (1992–2001; for live use only) • Mesa/Boogie.50 Caliber+ (1994) • Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (1995–2001; for studio use only) • Marshall JCM800 • Marshall 1960A Cabinet • Rocktron Juice Extractor • TC Electronic Chorus & Flanger • Homemade "Les Amp" Head Unit • Homemade 1x12" Cabinet • Yamaha Breath Controller • Volume Unit (Yamaha BC controlled the amount of volume that the unit would allow through) • ADA Rackmount Delay

Fredrik Thordendal is recorded with the occupation guitarist. Classed in the genre extreme metal. Established in Discogs under 252881. Recorded as guitarist and composer.