By Steve Jenkins
For over 8 years now Chelsea Grin has been a relevant band in their respective scene. Now the heavy-hitters of deathcore are bringing their extreme sound to our shores in what will be their first headlining tour downunder. We chatted to front man Alex Koehler about what it’s like to be constantly touring, evolving as a band and much more.
Since touring Australia in 2013 as a part of a run of shows supporting The Amity Affliction, this Salt Lake City band of six have improved tenfold. They’ve elevated their game not only musicianship wise, but lyrically and creatively. Their latest third studio album Ashes To Ashes has seen the band not only mature but also make it seem like they’re finally ready to be taken seriously by metal followers. Now they’re returning to our welcoming country and vocalist Alex Koehler is more than ready. “One of my fondest memories from Australia was getting lost in Sydney for hours looking for our motel. I literally walked around the entire city before I found it so I feel like I’m pretty familiar with that place now,” Koehler chuckles. “It’ll be cool to come back and know where everything is. It’s cool to get lost somewhere you’ve never been before because you can take in the whole city and just get to know the place.”
Constantly touring in the United States, Asia and Europe, Koehler says that the tour life is still loads of fun. “It’s still exciting to get out on the road or jump into a plane and go somewhere that we might not have been before. The only thing that’s a bummer is the airport. I can’t stand airports,” he says whilst laughing.
Ashes To Ashes was released in mid-2014 but it’s still powering the Chelsea Grin engine, which is something the band are very proud of. “It’s definitely a big step for us and it was a rather big three year gap between albums. It gave us a real opportunity to sit down and decide what kind of music we wanted to play. We pushed ourselves to get better with our instruments and the vocals and I’m glad we didn’t rush anything because it came out just how I imagined. It was a fun album to record and we learnt a lot at the same time,” explains Alex.
Being labeled as a deathcore band can often bring heat and a rather dreaded stigma, which is often hard to shake off (Taylor Swift reference, you’ll see). But Chelsea Grin have never really cared or given a damn about it. In fact, Alex says they’re quite proud of their roots and are happy to embrace it as long as people like what they do. “Everyone grows up and everyone gets older and we all become interested in different things. That’s what happened to us, we evolved. You’ve got to kind of learn to not give a f*ck and write what you want to write and if people still want to talk shit then let them. It’s funny because most people will straight up tell a band that they sold out if they change something about their sound, but you’d think it would be more of a sell out situation if you did what everyone (fans) told you to do.”
Evolve was the title of an EP which the band released in 2012, which saw Chelsea Grin do exactly that. It saw less of the chuggy breakdowns but more song structure and melody that worked well in their favour. It now seems that fans might not have to wait another 3 years for a new release, with Koehler hinting that an album next year is almost a certainty. “After this Australian tour we’ll be doing one more American tour, then we’ll be hitting the studio. We’ve already started writing and we’re looking forward to pumping out some new material but I can’t really tell you much more or I’d have to kill you.”
Some might say Chelsea Grin are just another generic deathcore band that have nothing unique about them, but each member has different music tastes. Alex even admitted that he and the band had Taylor Swift on high rotation whilst touring. “We actually released a t-shirt with her face on it, but we added our own Chelsea Grin style I guess you might say.”
You can catch Chelsea Grin in August with support from Boris The Blade (Melbourne) and Graves (Sydney) with tickets on sale now. Alex had some last words for those wishing to attend. “It’s going to be our first time headlining in Australia, so you can expect a longer set list with lots of energy. We’ll be playing songs from every record so that fans of our old and new stuff can enjoy it, and we can’t wait to see you guys at the shows.
Tour Dates
Thursday August 13th –The Rosemount Hotel, Perth – 18+*
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au
Friday August 14th – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne – 18+
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au | www.cornerhotel.com
Saturday August 15th – Wrangler Studios, Melbourne – AA
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au
Sunday August 16th Fowlers Live , Adelaide – LIC/AA
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au | www.moshtix.com.au
Wednesday August 19th –The Small Ballroom, Newcastle – 18+
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au
Friday August 21st –The Factory Theatre, Sydney – LIC/AA
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au | www.factorytheatre.com.au | www.ticketek.com.au
Saturday August 22nd –Brightside, Brisbane– 18+
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au
Sunday August 23rd – The Lab, Brisbane – AA
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au
* Boris The Blade not appearing
