By: Sam Taffet
CHICAGO– From the moment I saw Chelsea Grin, I was thankful for my newly purchased earplugs. Not to muffle their incredible sound, but to make sure my ears would be still working so I could catch them on their next tour.
If you’ve never listened to deathcore, imagine the most amplified guitars ever, pummeling blastbeat drums, and endless crazy riffs. For me, the vocals are one of the most defining characteristics of deathcore: full of deep growls, shrieks, and pig squeals, just adding to their impressive wall of sound.
I noticed that my earplugs would be essential right as their final opener, Shadows of Intent, stepped foot onto the stage. The song that stood out the most during their set was “The Heretic Prevails,” which opens with a captivating piano riff, guitar, vocals, and features a beautiful breakdown at the end. Before the set, I was under the impression I didn’t know any of the openers of the night, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn I had two of their songs saved, which excited me even more for them.
After a brief wait between sets, Chelsea Grin appeared, with the crowd erupting in excitement. The vocalist immediately caught my attention, utilizing a raised platform throughout the show that not only brought him closer to the audience, but also amplified his stage presence and drew my focus to his impressive performance. As their set began, I noticed that Chelsea Grin kicked things off with many of their songs I already knew, which instantly captivated me to their performance.
They opened with a string of newer tracks, “Hostage” and “Sing to the Grave”, setting a great tone for the show. It felt like the perfect way to start the show, performing two of their biggest songs to excite the crowd. Throughout the night, the energy was amazing, with several walls of deaths breaking out the pit during their heavier songs, with vocalist Tom Barber repeatedly calling for them and hyping up the crowd. Each time, fans would clear out a space in the center of the pit and slam into each other with full force, all for the sake of having fun to the music.
Although I wasn’t familiar with most of the songs that followed, Chelsea Grin’s performance was so captivating that several new tracks stood out, which are now on repeat for me. One that especially caught my attention was “Across the Earth.”The song opens with a powerful, drawn-out piano intro that builds anticipation before beautifully blending into the rest of the song. I love how all the musical components come together seamlessly in this song, especially with the vocals featuring a “blegh,” one of my favorite vocal inflections of deathcore.
During Chelsea Grin’s final song, someone in the crowd got injured, causing the band to pause their final song to make sure that everyone was safe.
Not knowing what to do, I took that as my cue to head out of the show a little early.
In the end, even with the brief interruption, Chelsea Grin’s show was incredible, and they’re definitely worth catching on their current tour. If you get the chance, don’t miss out on experiencing their amazing performance.
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