Salt Lake City, UT · deathcore · metal

Chelsea Grin

2 upcoming festivals ↓

Utah deathcore that keeps finding new floors beneath the floor — a decade-plus of low-tuned punishment that only got nastier with time.

Chelsea Grin formed in Salt Lake City in 2007, initially performing under the name Ahaziah before settling on its current name and issuing a self-titled EP in 2008. The band went on to become one of the more widely heard American deathcore acts of the following decade.

The group built its sound on down-tuned, often eight-string guitar work, breakdowns pitched at maximum weight, and vocals moving between low growls and higher screams, with occasional forays into grindcore tempos. Bassist David Flinn, who joined after the band's early lineup churn, has been the only member present on every studio album despite not being a founder.

Personnel turned over substantially through the years. Drummer Pablo Viveros replaced founding drummer Andrew Carlston in 2013 and began contributing low, growled vocals alongside Alex Koehler's screams. In 2018 the band trimmed down from a three-guitarist lineup to a single guitar, and Koehler departed, replaced by Tom Barber, formerly of Lorna Shore.

That new lineup released Eternal Nightmare in 2018. Earlier albums include Desolation of Eden (2010), My Damnation (2011), Ashes to Ashes (2014) and Self Inflicted (2016), records that trace the band's move toward heavier atmosphere and lower tunings without softening the impact.

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