Revered Swedish death-metal vocalist LG Petrov, best known for his work with Stockholm pioneers Entombed, has died following a hard-fought battle with bil duct cancer. He was 49. The news was confirmed on Facebook by Petrov's bandmates in his recent projects Entombed A.D. and Firespawn.
"We are devastated to announce that our beloved friend Lars-Göran Petrov has left us," wrote Entombed A.D., who last released their third and latest album, Bowels of Earth, in 2019. "Our brother, leader, vocalist, our Chief Rebel Angel went on another ride last night. It's with the deepest sadness that we have to announce that Lars-Göran Petrov has left us. He was (is!!!) an incredible friend, and a person that has touched so many people. He has changed so many lives with his voice, his music, his character and his unique personality. LG's smile is something that we will carry forever in our hearts."
Petrov's most enduring work came with Entombed, the Stockholm band that inspired a slew of extreme-metal bands, including as Nails, Gatecreeper, Trap Them, All Pigs Must Die and Black Breath, to the point that such groups are sometimes to referred to as "Entombedcore." Petrov provided the vocals on all nine of Entombed's albums, other than 1991's Clandestine, including two all-time classics, 1990's Left Hand Path and 1993's Wolverine Blues.
The vocalist's place in metal history even predates Entombed, however. Petrov was a member of the Swedish death-metal group Nihilist, who recorded three trailblazing demos before morphing into Entombed. (Bassist Johnny went his separate way and formed Unleashed.) Prior to Nihilist, Petrov (on drums) and Entombed guitarist Uffe Cederlund both played in the Swedish black-metal band Morbid; the group was fronted by Per "Dead" Ohlin, who would become infamous during his brief time with Norway's Mayhem, cut short by his 1991 death by suicide.
Most recently, Petrov led Entombed A.D., which he formed following Entombed's 2014 split and the ensuing legal fight over the band name. He also released three albums with Firespawn.
