Staff Infections – March 2021

Greetings, dear readers. Welcome to another addition of Staff Infections, our monthly peek into the listening habits of the Last Rites staff.  Sadly, in what seems like a disturbingly regular occurrence, we’ve lost another prominent metal musician in the past month. This time around it was Lars Goran “L-G” Petrov, who passed last week after a battle with a rare form of cancer. L-G is most famous as the long-time vocalist of Nihilist / Entombed and later Entombed A.D., but he also performed in seminal Swedish metals acts such as Morbid (on drums) and Comecon.

I have no hard data to back this up, but I think Entombed was an important gateway band for a lot of kids like myself who liked metal, but weren’t necessarily tuned into the international underground scene. Wolverine Blues was the second death metal album I ever bought, and the major label marketing campaign certainly had a lot to do with that. I also think that Wolverine Blues wouldn’t have been nearly as successful as it was without L-G’s vocals.  With Wolverine Blues, Petrov traded the more “necro” growling style he used on Left Hand Path for a bellicose roar that was more intelligible and probably more palatable to the mainstream, but somehow more aggressive.  L-G’s vocals gave Entombed’s songs a vitality they wouldn’t have had with a run-of-the-mill growler. While the rest of the band’s commitment to musical aggression — and their music, period, if we’re being honest — wavered over the years, L-G always sounded like he was out for blood.

Since not a single album made more than one appearance on staff playlists this month, we have no album of the month. In place of that usual discussion, let’s take a little time to appreciate the work of L-G Petrov.

Here’s a taste of L-G’s drumming on Morbid’s 1987 demo December Moon, which also features Petrov’s future Entombed bandmate Ulf Cederlund and future Mayhem vocalist Dead.

I’ll admit I didn’t have L-G pegged as a piano player, but here he is with his instrumental contribution to 1997’s DCLXVI To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth:

Here’s one of my favorites from latter-day Entombed. Morning Star isn’t a death metal album, but it’s the best of the band’s albums that aren’t.

Finally, from Entombed’s 1989 demo of the same name, here’s “But Life Goes On”:

Take care of yourselves out there, friends. Be sure to have a listen to the staff-curated Spotify playlist below, share your own playlist in the comments, and, while you’re at it, give us your favorite L-G Petrov song. [JEREMY MORSE]

• Andrew Edmunds
  Morbid Angel – Kingdoms Disdained
  Napalm Death – Smear Campaign
  Socioclast – Socioclast
  Stone Temple Pilots – Tiny Music… Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop
  Voivod – Killing Technology
  The Cure – Faith
• Zach Duvall
  Medieval Demon – Arcadian Witchcraft
  Manilla Road – The Courts of Chaos
  Rush – A Farewell to Kings
  Dordeduh – Dar De Duh
  Armand Hammer – Paraffin
  Ulver – Shadows of the Sun
• Ryan Tysinger
  Neil Merryweather & The Space Rangers – Kryptonite
  夢遊病者 – Noč Na Krayu Sveta
  Herzel – Le Dernier Rempart
  Kamasi Washington – The Epic
  Fathomage – Psalms of Reverence and Lamentations
  Banchee – Thinkin’
• Danhammer Obstkrieg
  Nekromantheon – Visions of Trismegistos
  Empyrium – Songs of Moors and Misty Fields
  The Weather Station – Ignorance
  Obituary – Slowly We Rot
  Manilla Road – Mark of the Beast
  Susie Ibarra – Talking Gong
• Captain
  Yoth Iria – As the Flame Withers
  Entombed – Morning Star
  Coffin Mulch – Septic Funeral
  Taje skal – Taje skal
  Chevalier – discography
  Bob Mould – Workbook
• Dave Pirtle
  Briqueville – Quelle
  Einherjer – North Star
  Melvins – Working With God
  Evergrey – Escape of the Phoenix
  Significant Point – Into the Storm
  Rush – Clockwork Angels
• Spencer Hotz
  Ominous Ruin – Amidst Voices That Echo in Stone
  Black Sheep Wall – Songs for the Enamel Queen
  Anneke Van Giersbergen – The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest
  St. Vincent – Actor
  Meth Leppard – Woke
  Black Pumas – Black Pumas
• Jeremy Morse
  Runemagick – Darkness Death Doom
  Nevermore – Dreaming Neon Black
  Entombed – Left Hand Path
  Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman
  Megadeth – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying
  Cannibal Corpse – Kill
• Megan Astarael
  Opeth – Blackwater Park
  Underoath – Define The Great Line
  Krallice – Demonic Wrath
  Cameron Graves – Seven
  Fat Jon – Wave Motion
  Molchat Doma – Etazhi

Posted by Jeremy Morse

Riffs or GTFO.

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