Entombed

Entombed emerged as one of Scandinavia's foundational acts in the European death metal movement upon issuing Left Hand Path in 1990, sharing that pioneering role with the other "big four" outfits Dismember, Grave, and Unleashed. Their signature buzzsaw guitar tone originated from a Peavey amplifier paired with a Boss Heavy Metal distortion pedal. The group reinforced its thrash emphasis on Clandestine the next year. Extensive roster turnover and stylistic shifts have defined Entombed ever since. Wolverine Blues arrived in 1993 with a riff- and groove-driven method that integrated hard rock into heavy metal, a hybrid the band itself termed "death 'n' roll." Same Difference advanced that trajectory in 1997 by folding alt-metal into the blend, yet Uprising in 2000 reverted toward a rawer palette before Morning Star turned experimental in 2001. Inferno followed in 2003, succeeded by the live set Unreal Estate. Serpent Saints: The Ten Amendments served as the final studio album prior to the 2013 split. Litigation later permitted parallel continuations under the names Entombed and Entombed A.D. The latter produced three albums before disbanding in 2020, while the former issued only scattered singles and a live re-recording of Clandestine in 2019.

Entombed's origins trace to Nihilist, assembled in Stockholm, Sweden, during 1987 by drummer/guitarist Nicke Andersson, guitarist Alex Hellid, and guitarist/bassist Leif "Leffe" Cuzner, each roughly 15 years old at the time. Between 1988 and 1989 Nihilist laid down several demos including Premature Autopsy, Only Shreds Remain, and Drowned; Threeman later gathered those recordings plus session material into the 2005 compilation Nihilist [1987-1989]. Additional participants on those early tapes included vocalist Lars-Göran Petrov (aka L.G. Petrov), guitarist Ulf "Uffe" Cederlund, and bassist Johnny Hedlund. The Only Shreds Remain demo, captured across two days in December 1988 at Sunlight Studios in Stockholm under producer Tomas Skogsberg, stands out as one of the earliest Scandinavian death metal recordings to circulate broadly through the then-predominantly British and American underground tape-trading circuit.

While supporting the Lee Dorian-fronted Napalm Death in Stockholm, Nihilist passed one of its demo tapes to an Earache Records representative, prompting the label to extend a recording contract. Bassist Johnny Hedlund exited Nihilist after the Drowned demo in August 1989 and promptly formed Unleashed. Guitarist/bassist Leif Cuzner had already departed when his family relocated to Canada. Following Hedlund's exit, Nihilist dissolved, yet Andersson (drums), Hellid (guitar), Cederlund (guitar), and Petrov (vocals) immediately regrouped as Entombed. Bassist David Blomqvist stepped in for Hedlund, and the refreshed lineup returned to Sunlight Studios on September 23, 1989, to record the But Life Goes On demo once more with Tomas Skogsberg. Entombed soon resumed work at the same facility with Skogsberg on its Earache debut, Left Hand Path (1990), which largely reworked Nihilist material. Bassist Lars Rosenberg joined after the album's completion, on which Andersson and Cederlund shared bass credits. Vocalist Lars-Göran Petrov then departed; Entombed recruited Orvar Säfström of Nirvana 2002 to handle vocals on the 1990 three-song EP Crawl. When preparing Clandestine (1991), drummer Nicke Andersson took over vocal duties and authored most of the album, receiving solo or co-writing credit on every track. For live dates the band enlisted former Carnage bassist Johnny Dordevic as vocalist, although Lars-Göran Petrov had rejoined by the time Entombed joined the fall 1991 Gods of Grind tour alongside Carcass, Cathedral, and Confessor.

With Petrov restored, the high-profile tour completed, and two acclaimed albums already released, Entombed began work on its third record, Wolverine Blues (1993). Again composed largely by Andersson, the album marked a notable departure: tempos slowed from the prior breakneck shifts typical of death metal to a crushing midtempo groove reminiscent of Pantera circa Vulgar Display of Power. Song structures adopted more conventional verse-chorus-verse patterns with memorable hooks, and vocals became intelligible. These adjustments distanced Entombed from its death metal contemporaries, yet the unrelenting brutality of the signature buzzsaw guitars and Petrov's menacing delivery—more yell than growl—kept the band apart from mainstream acts. Earache's partnership with Columbia Records supplied independent credibility alongside major-label distribution; the six-track Hollowman EP (1993) became the first release to benefit, featuring an instrumental version of "Wolverine Blues" that generated substantial anticipation. Issued in two editions—one a Marvel Comics promotion featuring Wolverine from X-Men—the album polarized listeners, with death metal purists rejecting the directional change while others welcomed the creative advance beyond the wave of similar-sounding bands that had followed Left Hand Path. Wolverine Blues nonetheless drew a fresh audience and is widely viewed as a career peak, serving as a recurring standard against which later releases are measured.

After Wolverine Blues, Entombed toured Europe with Napalm Death and released the Out of Hand single. Bassist Lars Rosenberg departed in 1995; Jörgen Sandström, formerly of Grave, assumed the role. The group also changed management, left Earache, and signed with EastWest, yet the new deal collapsed when the label recorded but ultimately shelved and dropped an album for commercial reasons. Those setbacks prompted Entombed to establish its own Threeman Recordings and arrange regional distribution, including through Music for Nations in the U.S. To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth appeared in 1997 as the fourth full-length; Earache simultaneously issued the compilation Entombed. The album earned strong notices, including a second-place finish in Metal Hammer's European best-of-1997 poll and an opening slot with Machine Head, while retaining the style of Wolverine Blues yet sounding rougher and less immediately memorable. Drummer and chief songwriter Nicke Andersson then exited to focus on his other project, the Hellacopters. Peter Stjärnvind joined immediately for touring, including Entombed's first North American shows since the 1991 Gods of Grind tour, and remained through much of 1998. After touring concluded, the band worked with producer Daniel Rey on Same Difference (1999), its first album without Andersson's contributions or Tomas Skogsberg's production. Written primarily by guitarist Uffe Cederlund, Same Difference moved further from death metal roots than Wolverine Blues had, prompting unified fan disapproval. Earache again paired the release with a catalog item, Monkey Puss: Live in London (1999), documenting the March 1992 European leg of the Gods of Grind tour. The covers EP Black Juju (1999) also surfaced around then as Entombed toured with Meshuggah and Skinlab.

Uprising (1999) restored favor among fans and critics by returning to a rawer approach, recorded and mixed in just 18 days with producer Nico Elgstrand. A subsequent European and Canadian tour supported Iron Maiden, supplemented by headline dates. Morning Star (2001) maintained the raw aesthetic while introducing greater dynamic range in tempo and mood, drawing comparisons in some quarters to prime-era Slayer. To mark the band's 15th anniversary, Threeman assembled Sons of Satan Praise the Lord (2002), a double-disc covers collection spanning sources from Venom to Bob Dylan. That same year Entombed performed at the Royal Swedish Opera with the Royal Ballet Ensemble; the concert later emerged as the 2004 live album Unreal Estate. Co-produced by the band and Per Gunnerfeldt, Inferno (2003) echoed the raw character of Uprising and Morning Star, though some listeners noted stoner metal parallels while others criticized the rough production in comparison to Metallica's St. Anger (2003). Stateside versions added the bonus EP Averno containing extra Inferno session material and videos. Extensive touring accompanied further personnel shifts: bassist Jörgen Sandström departed in January 2004 and was replaced by Nico Elgstrand; guitarist Uffe Cederlund left unreplaced in September 2005; drummer Peter Stjärnvind exited in 2006 and was succeeded by Olle Dahlstedt.

As a four-piece, Entombed issued the five-song When in Sodom EP on June 6, 2006 (6-6-6) and the Serpent Saints: The Ten Amendments LP in 2007. These first new releases in three years, absent Cederlund's songwriting that had dominated since Andersson's departure, revitalized the group and restored its signature brutality. Serpent Saints received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers ranking it alongside Uprising and Morning Star; Candlelight USA promoted the album as "Entombed's best work since Wolverine Blues!"

In 2013 Lars-Göran Petrov signed with Century Media to record a new Entombed album under the Entombed A.D. name. Courts awarded the original moniker to the four founding members, so Petrov proceeded independently, retaining guitarist Elgstrand, bassist Victor Brandt, and drummer Dahlstedt—core members of Entombed's recent lineup. Entombed A.D. released Back to the Front in 2014 and Dead Dawn in 2016, both via Century Media. On November 12, 2016, the original band performed Clandestine in full for its 25th anniversary alongside the Malmö Symphony Orchestra & Choir; the concert appeared in 2019 as Clandestine Live. L.G. Petrov died on March 7, 2021, at age 49 following a bile duct cancer diagnosis. In 2022 Entombed issued a fully remastered edition of 1997's DCLXVI: To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth! mastered by Magnus Lindberg with the original track sequence restored.