Fredrik Thordendal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fredrik Thordendal
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Thordendal performing in 2023
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| Background information | |
| Born | 11 February 1970 |
| Origin | Umeå, Sweden |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Associated acts | Meshuggah Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects |
Fredrik Carl Thordendal, born on February 11, 1970, is a talented musician from Sweden. He is most famous as the lead guitarist and a backing singer for the band Meshuggah. He helped start the band. Guitar World magazine once named him one of the top 100 heavy metal guitarists ever. He was ranked number 35, along with Meshuggah's other guitarist, Mårten Hagström.
Contents
Fredrik Thordendal's Music Journey
Starting with Meshuggah
Fredrik Thordendal began his music career in 1985. He formed a band called 'Metallien' in his hometown of Umeå, Sweden. This band was very much inspired by Metallica. Later, the band changed its name to Meshuggah. They released their first album, Psykisk Testbild, in 1989.
Meshuggah started as a thrash metal band. Over time, their music changed and became more progressive. This new sound has influenced many other bands. For example, the band Periphery was inspired by Meshuggah. A member of Periphery, Misha Mansoor, even helped create the term "Djent". This word describes a special guitar sound often used in Meshuggah's music. Fredrik Thordendal is well-known in the metal music world for his work with Meshuggah.
In the 1990s, before the album Destroy Erase Improve came out, Fredrik had an accident. He was working as a carpenter and cut the tip of his left middle finger. Doctors were able to reattach it. After a lot of practice, he was able to play the guitar fully again within about a year.
Solo Album: Sol Niger Within
In 1997, Fredrik Thordendal released a solo album. It was called Sol Niger Within and came out under the name Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects. The album was later remixed and re-released in 1999. This new version was called Sol Niger Within Version 3.33. It included two extra songs. In 2016, the album was released on vinyl for the first time.
Fredrik has also said he wants to make a second solo album. He mentioned that he wants to take his time with it. He hopes it will sound very different from anything he has heard before.
Other Music Projects
Fredrik Thordendal has worked on many other music projects. One project was called XXX Atomic Toejam with Petter Marklund. They released a single and an album. Fredrik also played bass guitar for Petter Marklund's solo project, Memorandum. They even remixed songs together for an album in 1995.
In 2010, Fredrik recorded drum tracks with Morgan Ågren and Dirk Verbeuren. Some of Fredrik's demo songs have also been shared online. One demo, Demo 33, showed off a special device called a MIDI breath controller. This device is used in some Meshuggah songs.
Fredrik is also a talented music producer. He has produced all of Meshuggah's recent music. He has also produced music for other bands, like Fragment from Switzerland.
He has played lead guitar on songs for other bands too. He was featured on the Darkane song 'Psychic Pain' from their album Insanity. He also played on the song 'Asphyxiate' from Scarve's album Irradiant. Additionally, he played a guitar solo on the song 'Deconstruction' from Devin Townsend Project's album Deconstruction.
Fredrik also helped create music for video games. He contributed to the soundtracks of Wolfenstein: The New Order (released in 2014) and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (released in 2017).
Fredrik's Guitar Style and Inspirations
How Fredrik Plays Guitar
As a guitarist, Fredrik Thordendal has a unique style. His lead guitar playing is very clean and complex. He was inspired by jazz fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth. His rhythm guitar playing is also very detailed. He often uses special rhythms called polymetric passages. He uses seven- and eight-string guitars to create his sound. Fredrik also helps write many of Meshuggah's songs. He sings backing vocals during live shows too.
Who Inspired Fredrik
Fredrik has said that bands like Metallica and Tool influenced Meshuggah. Meshuggah even toured with Tool in the U.S. in 2002. During that tour, Meshuggah's drummer, Tomas Haake, played a song with Tool.
Fredrik also admires the work of jazz fusion guitarist Wayne Krantz. He listens to bands like Massive Attack and Cult of Luna.
In an interview in 2011, Fredrik talked about his playing. He said his dad listened to jazz, which helped him learn to improvise. He feels that improvised solos sound better than planned ones. He doesn't think much when he improvises; he just reacts to his feelings. He has not had any formal music training. When he records his lead parts, they are usually based on feeling. He doesn't worry about music theory rules. Sometimes, he does need to figure out what scales to use for certain songs. He might write down parts and plan ahead. He often improvises the beginning, adds a written part, and then improvises again. He admits it's a confusing way to play, but he does whatever works to make it sound good.
Fredrik's Guitar Gear
Guitars Fredrik Uses
Fredrik Thordendal mainly uses custom Ibanez 8-string M8M guitars. These guitars have special bodies and necks. They also have a unique pickup called a Lundgren Model 8. He also owns a 7-string acoustic guitar made by Ibanez.
For a while, he used Nevborn guitars, which made Meshuggah's first 8-string guitars. However, these guitars had problems, so Fredrik switched to Ibanez. He also uses a custom 8-string guitar called the Stoneman. This guitar is now made by Ibanez as the FTM33.
Fredrik uses a special device for his lead guitar parts called a MIDI breath controller. He wanted to use it to control the volume of notes, like a saxophonist. He found it hard to do that with a guitar. Instead, he found that blowing into it for every note created a unique, short sound. The first breath controller he used was on songs like 'Future Breed Machine'. He and Johan Haake tried to improve it to control more sounds. He was happy with how the 'Missing Time' solo sounded using it.
Guitar Tuning
For early Meshuggah songs, Fredrik tuned his 7-string guitars to B♭. With 8-string guitars, he tunes them down to F (F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, B♭, E♭). This tuning was used because it was easier for the singer, Jens Kidman, to sing in those keys.
Sometimes, Fredrik uses different tunings. For example, on songs like "Glints Collide" 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," the lowest string is tuned to B♭, making it an octave lower than the 7th string.
Guitar Strings and Picks
Fredrik uses DR Strings, Tite-Fit, LH-9 'Lite & Heavy' sets. These strings have specific thicknesses. He also uses Jim Dunlop 1.3mm Primetone Standard picks and Jim Dunlop 1.00mm Nylon Standard picks.
Amplifiers and Effects
Fredrik uses a Fractal Audio Systems Axe-FX II for his clean guitar sounds and effects. He also uses a custom-made Fortin Meshuggah Amp. This amp was first used live in 2016. He also uses a Two Notes Torpedo Live and a Fortin custom boost pedal.
Past Equipment
In the past, Fredrik used various amplifiers and effects. These included Randall Satan, Fractal Audio AxeFX ULTRA, Line 6 Vetta II Head Units, and Line 6 POD Pro. He also used Marshall Valvestate 8200 for live shows and Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier for studio recordings. Other past gear included a Marshall JCM800, Rocktron Juice Extractor, and a Yamaha Breath Controller.
Music Albums and Songs
With Meshuggah
- Psykisk Testbild (EP, 1989)
- Contradictions Collapse (1991)
- None (EP, 1994)
- Selfcaged (EP, 1995)
- Destroy Erase Improve (1995)
- Chaosphere (1998)
- Nothing (2002)
- I (EP, 2004)
- Catch Thirty-Three (2005)
- Nothing – Re-issue (2006)
- obZen (2008)
- Alive (Live Album, 2010)
- Koloss (2012)
- Pitch Black (EP, 2013)
- The Violent Sleep of Reason (2016)
- Immutable (2022)
With Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects
- Sol Niger Within (1997)
Guest Appearances
- The Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction (2011) (guest guitarist on "Deconstruction")
- Gojira – Untitled Sea Shepherd EP (TBA) (guest guitarist on "Of Blood and Salt")
- Mattias Eklundh – The Smorgasbord (2013) (guest guitarist on "Friedrichs Wahnbriefe")
- Scarve – Irradiant (2004) (guest solo guitarist on "Asphyxiate")
- Mick Gordon – Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014) (guest guitarist on "Herr Faust")
- Grant the Sun – Sylvain (2019) (bass guitarist)
- Jakub Zytecki – Nothing Lasts, Nothing's Lost (2019) (guest guitarist on "Creature Comfort")
- Evan Marien – Emar, Vol. 3 (2019) (guest guitarist on "Requiem")
Images for kids
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Thordendal with Meshuggah in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Fredrik Thordendal para niños
