Chelsea Grin

Chelsea Grin

Chelsea Grin is an American deathcore band from Salt Lake City, Utah, formed in 2007. The group is currently signed to Artery Recordings. They have released one EP and one full-length album. Their band name is derived from the torture method of the same name.

Biography

Formation and EP (2007—2008)

Chelsea Grin was founded in Salt Lake City during March 2007 by Alex Koehler and (former) guitarist Chris Kilbourn. Prior to being named Chelsea Grin, the 2 members were in local Salt Lake band "Ahaziah", but changed their named to Chelsea Grin in March 2008 naming themselves after the infamous torture maneuver known as a Glasgow smile or "Chelsea grin". At this time, the band continued to recruit members and gained bassist Austin Marticorena and lead guitarist Michael Stafford. Marticorena introduced Andrew Carlston to Chelsea Grin and assisted in rewriting their current songs as well as the creation of new material. This writing process lead to the tracks listed on their first release, a self-titled EP that was first streamed and released online through iTunes and then released in Compact Disc format worldwide on July 27, 2008. The band released the song "Crewcabanger" as well as "Lifeless" as singles and was received by listening audiences very well.

Signing to Artery Recordings (2008—2009)

Following the release of the self-titled EP in July 2008, the signing to Statik Factory Records, and a few small successful west coast tours, Austin Morticorena (bass) decided to leave the band for personal reasons. Shortly after, the band acquired Jaek Harmond to temporarily fill in on bass while the band found a permanent member. Not long after, the band ousted drummer Andrew Carlston, and Kory Shilling took his place, as well as Davis Pugh taking over the full-time bass player position. In April 2009 the band replaced drummer Kory Shilling with original member, Andrew Carlston, which then resulted in guitar player, and original member Chris Killbourn to leave the band to start his own record label, Matchless Records. Shortly thereafter, the band nitched Jaek Harmond once again to fill the 2nd guitar position until the band found a permanent member. Soon after the band started to write the follow-up to the self-titled EP, they decided to take a new route and switch Davis Pugh from bass, to the 3rd guitar, and added David Flinn as the new bass player. The band then got added to a small, week long Canadian run in June 2009 with Arsonists Get All The Girls, A Plea For Purging, The Agonist, and Statik Factory labelmates, Attila. After the successful tour, fill-in guitar player Jaek Harmond decided to become a full-time member, and the band joined forces with Mike Milford, Eric Rushing and The Artery Foundation, and booked studio time to record their debut full length "Desolation of Eden" at Lambesis Studios in San Marcos, CA in August 2009. 1 week prior to going into the studio, guitar player Davis Pugh decided to leave the band, and was replaced with ex-bandmate of Jaek Harmond; Dan Jones, of another local Salt Lake City band, "Hermione". Whilst in the studio the band inked a deal with Artery Recordings, a new imprint of The Artery Foundation and Razor and Tie.

Desolation of Eden (2009—2010)

After recording their debut record, Desolation of Eden, the band embarked on their first full US tour featuring Dr. Acula, American Me, and Attila. Desolation of Eden was released on February 16, 2010 and reached number 21 on The Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart selling 1,500 copies its first week. With the success of their debut, the band was afterwards featured and praised in Alternative Press, Utah newspapers and many other magezines nationwide and worldwide.

Songs that debuted on the EP such as "Cheyne Stokes" and "Recreant" were re-recorded for Desolation of Eden. As of December 2010, the albuim has sold over 15,000 copies. There are currently 2 music videos from the record, "Sonnet of the Wretched" and "Recreant". The music video for "Sonnet of the Wretched" was filmed on June 4, 2010 as the band headlined a sold-out show at The Boardwalk in Orangvale, CA, the video was then released July 7, 2010. In September 2010, while on tour with Iwrestledabearonce, Eyes Set To Kill, The Chariot and Vanna, the band recorded a music video for single "Recreant" on a recording set held in northern California, the video debuted January 13, 2011 on Metal Injection. In December 2010, the band announced via Twitter that they have chosen producer Zeuss (Shadows Fall, Hatebreed, The Acacia Strain) to record their follow up to Desolation of Eden, and will go into the studio January 13, 2011.

In August 2010, while the band was in Richmond, VA on the Thrash and Burn tour, vocalist Alex Koehler received a very serious injury to his jaw, breaking it in 3 places, which required the band to drop off the last week of the tour, and forced Koehler to have surgery on his broken jaw. The band had plans to head to Canada with Blind Witness and Attila to embark on a 2 week tour in September 2010 and the shows were canceled instead having substitute member Koehler's place out of the band's choice.

My Damnation (2010—present)

Chelsea Grin has already finished writing and recording their second full-length album. It will be titled My Damnation and is scheduled for release by the spring or summer of 2011. On April 17th Artery Recordings released the new single for "My Damnation". The song is titled "My Damnation"

Members

Current members

• Andrew Carlston - drums (2008–2009, 2009–present)
• David Flinn - bass guitar(2009–present)
• Jaek Harmond - guitars (2009–present)
• Dan Jones - guitars (2009–present)
• Alex Koehler - lead vocals (2008–present)
• Michael Stafford- lead guitar (2008–present)

Former members

• Chris Kilbourn - guitar (2008–2009)
• Davis Pugh - bass guitar (2009)
• Austin Marticorena - bass guitar (2008)
• Kory Shilling - drums (2009)

Discography

Albums

• Desolation of Eden (Artery, 2010)
• My Damnation (Artery, 2011)

EPs

• Chelsea Grin EP (Statik Factory, 2008)

Videos

• "Sonnet of the Wretched" (Desolation of Eden, 2010)
• "Recreant" (Desolation of Eden, 2011)

External links

• Official website