New Mattias IA Eklundh Album 'Smorgasbord' to Feature Guthrie Govan

New album will be released on Steve Vai's label in 2013   05-Dec-12

Mattias IA Eklundh's new solo album 'Freak Guitar - The Smorgasboard' will be released on March 5th, 2013, and will feature a host of special guests.

Freak Kitchen's legendarily serendipitous guitarist has been working hard on new material for his solo project, and also his band, and 'Freak Guitar - The Smorgasbord' is set to be a giant double album. Good news for fans out there who have been waiting a long time for it.

It will be released on Steve Vai's label, Favored Nations, and will feature some well-respected names in the guitar world. Alongside Mattias IA Eklundh, we can expect contributions from Guthrie Govan, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Dweezil Zappa, and Andy Timmons.

On paper, there's no reason why this shouldn't be one of the top five best guitar albums of next year, Eklundh always pulls something crazy out of the bag and has one hell of a unique playing style, to hear him alongside some equally great guitarists should be something special.

In a recent interview with Sonic State Amped, Mattias said of the new album:

"The solo album will be quite a ride! When nobody is buying CDs anymore I decided to make a double one with over 100 minutes of unorthodox instrumental music. Madness. But it feels good and to me it is a necessity to make music. Music is life."

Here's how Mattias IA broke the news of the release in a statement to his fans:

"Hot, delicious news! Prepare to devour! Steve Vai and Favored Nations will my release my audio feast Freak Guitar - The Smorgasbord worldwide March 5th!

"An intense buffet with no fewer than 40 tracks, served in double disc packaging (with close to two hours worth of nutritious music!) 'Freak Guitar - The Smorgasbord' also features a number of prominent, tasty guests: Dweezil Zappa, Fredrik Thordendal, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Andy Timmons, Georg "Jojje" Wadenius, Guthrie Govan, Morgan Ågren, Ranjit Barot, Kiko Loureiro, Jonas Hellborg, Selvaganesh Vinayakram and many more."

A tracklisting for the album was also released:

Disc 1

1. Amphibians Night Out

2. Musth

3. Mattias - The Beautiful Guy

4. Hells Bells

5. The Smorgasbord

6. Friedrichs Wahnbriefe

7. Sexually Frustrated Fruit Fly Flamenco

8. Daily Grind Disco March

9. Lease With an Option to Buy

10. The Swede and the Wolf

11. Mambo Italiano

12. Mind Your Step (at Schiphol Airport)

13. Crossing the Rubicon

14. That's Amore

15. Keep It in the Dojo

16. Infrared Jed

17. Peter, I Won't Drive Another Meter

18. Larvatus Prodeo

19. Blaha Blaha

20. Lullaby for Gabriel

Disc 2

1. In the Goo of the Evening

2. The Dogs of Delhi

3. Special Agent Bauer

4. Mahavishnu John

5. The Harry Lime Theme

6. Dark Matter

7. Trumpet Lesson

8. Mandur and Morgan's Camel Safari

9. Shore Thing

10. Captain Smith's Moment of Truth

11. Mah Ná Mah Ná

12. The Nigerian Gynecologist

13. 6 Rue Cordot

14. Kali Ghat

15. Safe to Remove Hardware

16. Did You Actually Pay for That?

17. Those in Badiyah

18. The Essence of Emptiness

19. Meralgia Paresthetica

20. Guano Afternoon

Mattias added:

"Keeping my Viking fingers crossed you will enjoy (and be able to digest) this beefy record! I had a ball producing it! More news soon."

Amped Editor
@sonicamped