At the end of last year our Deathcore deviants Chelsea Grin toured with Carnifex, I missed out because of the bastard flu, at that time they released the first of a double album ‘Suffer In Hell’ and now we have the second instalment ‘Suffer In Heaven, and why the fuck not?
Jumping straight into the ‘Origin Of Sin’ it’s a full throttle, spin the bottle, tribal drums signalling the chaos in the realm of Deathcore, a bracing battle awaits us.
Second track plays as I weep softly into the keyboard, featuring the voice of the late Trevor Strnad of TBDM, can’t even get the words out here. The band go all Knights Templar in the video for ‘Forever Bloom’ an apt title really because if I had a flower for every artist that we have lost, I would walk forever in my garden. With lashings of Mountain Dew, they roll the dice, take the knee to a fallen king, as we hear Trevor adding his distinctive pitch and growl to hit you in parts you never knew you had.
The accompanying visualiser for ‘Deathbed Companion’ reminds me of the artistry of Necrot, deliriously grim and tingling with trepidation.
The literal and musical breakdown at 2.19 in ‘Flood Lungs’ a cry for help, for mercy, a plea to be heard, you can feel the heaviness of the heart. In stark contrast you have ‘putting trash bags on pedestals’ from ‘The Isnis’ a system to preserve the spirit of mankind and an energy to explore our limitless consciousness, phew, that’s a lot to think about there, Chelsea Grin don’t do things by halves.
The second album ‘Suffer In Heaven’ begins with the chilling words of Marshall Applewhite, he of the Heaven’s Gate cult, prophetic, bringing doom and devastation for those sadly indoctrinated into his keeping.
‘Soul Slave’ is for the sanctimonious amongst us, always ready to take a pop at others, while shielding their own baseness, leading a grand deception. We dip into the gaming world for ‘Yhorm The Giant’ an altruistic character, always doing his best and getting nothing in return, the song focuses on how this can drain you, positive deeds may help another person but can have an adverse effect on the giver. Commiserate with us as we ‘Sing To The Grave’ and remember those we have lost, hoping for the dead to be resurrected and live again is grief at its zenith, portrayed quite forcefully and quite passionately in this penultimate track on this angst-filled odyssey. We end on an important note, a message to us all, we need to be empowered in our lives, focus on what is best for you, advice and possible interference from others may or may not be helpful, and so as you walk on ‘The Path Of Suffering’ seek to be true to yourself, and be guided by the most crushing outro of the year so far ‘witness me’.
I’ll leave you with this lyric from ‘Forever Bloom’.
‘The blackened agenda housed within a beautiful chrysalis’ perfectly describing this album and what it conveys, all things dark and disturbing in this world, presented in the beauty of music.
Azra Pathan
Chelsea Grin – Suffer In Hell/ Suffer In Heaven out now