# Chelsea Grin
**Chelsea Grin** is an American deathcore band from [Salt Lake City](https://www.edgepedia.org/salt-lake-city), Utah, formed in 2007 and currently signed to [Rise Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/rise-records)[1](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/chelsea-grin-tickets/artist/726915). The band took its name in March 2008 from the torture method known as the Glasgow smile, also called the "Chelsea grin"[2](https://www.skiddle.com/artists/chelsea-grin-123569570/). It has released two EPs, *Chelsea Grin* (2008) and *Evolve* (2012), and seven full-length albums, the most recent being *Suffer in Heaven* (2023)[1](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/chelsea-grin-tickets/artist/726915).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Formed 2007 in Salt Lake City, Utah; currently signed to Rise Records[1](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/chelsea-grin-tickets/artist/726915) |
| Name | Taken in March 2008 from the torture method known as the Glasgow smile, or "Chelsea grin"[2](https://www.skiddle.com/artists/chelsea-grin-123569570/) |
| Discography | Two EPs (*Chelsea Grin*, 2008; *Evolve*, 2012) and seven full-length albums, latest *Suffer in Heaven* (2023)[1](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/chelsea-grin-tickets/artist/726915) |
| First albums | *Desolation of Eden* (2010) on Artery Recordings; *My Damnation* (2011) produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chelsea-grin-mn0001606876) |
| Constant member | Bassist David Flinn, the sole member on every studio album; no founding members have remained since 2018[4](https://thebandindex.com/band/chelsea-grin) |
| Recent lineup | Tom Barber (vocals), Stephen Rutishauser (guitar), Pablo Viveros (drums), David Flinn (bass)[5](https://distortedsoundmag.com/interview-chelsea-grin/) |
| Recent releases | Double album *Suffer in Hell* (2022) and *Suffer in Heaven* (2023)[6](https://lambgoat.com/music/Chelsea-Grin) |
| Reach | 3.6 million overall listeners, 35 million streams, and 331,000 Instagram followers per the band's one-sheet[7](https://chelseagrinband.com/pages/one-sheet) |
## Formation and early albums
The band named itself Chelsea Grin in March 2008, after the Glasgow smile, a method of cutting a victim's mouth so the wounds scar into a grin[2](https://www.skiddle.com/artists/chelsea-grin-123569570/). In soccer hooligan terminology the phrase describes cutting a rival's mouth and splitting the mouth muscles into a bloody grimace[8](https://metalstorm.net/bands/biography.php?band_id=6709&bandname=Chelsea+Grin).
After two members departed, the band replaced them with bassist David Flinn and guitarist Jaek Harmond, then added a third guitarist, Dan Jones, shortly before signing with Artery Recordings and recording its full-length debut, *Desolation of Eden*, released in 2010[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chelsea-grin-mn0001606876). Early in 2011 the band entered the studio with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris, known for his work with [Hatebreed](https://www.edgepedia.org/hatebreed) and the Red Chord, to record the follow-up *My Damnation*, released later that year[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chelsea-grin-mn0001606876).
The early band ran a three-guitar lineup built on hardcore grit combined with death metal technicality and grind speed[8](https://metalstorm.net/bands/biography.php?band_id=6709&bandname=Chelsea+Grin). Harmond described the band's lyrical development between the EP and *Desolation of Eden*, saying the early lyrics dealt largely with betrayal[8](https://metalstorm.net/bands/biography.php?band_id=6709&bandname=Chelsea+Grin). Songs from this period, including "Crewcabanger" and "My Damnation", still appear in the band's live sets[9](https://www.jambase.com/band/chelsea-grin).
## Lineup changes
Since forming, Chelsea Grin has gone through many personnel shifts, and as of 2018 none of its original members are left; David Flinn, the bassist, has been the only member to appear on every one of the group's studio albums[4](https://thebandindex.com/band/chelsea-grin). By the mid-2010s the lineup included Flinn, vocalist Alex Koehler, guitarist Stephen Rutishauser, and drummer Pablo Viveros, who discussed the making of what they called their darkest album to date in a 2017 interview[5](https://distortedsoundmag.com/interview-chelsea-grin/) • [13](https://metalinjection.net/news/breakups/chelsea-grin-part-ways-with-vocalist-guitarist-unveil-new-track-dead-rose).
The 2018 album *Eternal Nightmare* marked a visible reset. Touring behind it, the band sported a new vocalist and a single guitarist instead of the usual three, a new look as well as a new sound, though the set still drew on older material[10](https://www.houstonpress.com/music/chelsea-grin-performs-at-warehouse-live-11389933/). Guitarist Stephen Rutishauser, interviewed by Ernie Ball around that period, described a band that had continued to hone its craft with more complex guitar playing, syncopated drumming, and heavier dynamics[11](https://www.ernieball.com/blog/artists/metal-monday-chelsea-grin).
## Suffer in Hell and Suffer in Heaven
In August 2022 the band announced a double album and premiered a new video[6](https://lambgoat.com/music/Chelsea-Grin). The two parts, *Suffer in Hell* (2022) and *Suffer in Heaven* (2023), completed the seven-album run counted by [Ticketmaster](https://www.edgepedia.org/ticketmaster)[1](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/chelsea-grin-tickets/artist/726915). The band's promotional one-sheet lists press coverage of the *Suffer in Hell* review and the double-album announcement alongside a Death Match Hall of Fame entry from Loudwire[7](https://chelseagrinband.com/pages/one-sheet).
## Recent activity
The band's one-sheet describes it as a legacy act that helped pioneer the deathcore subgenre and has toured the world nonstop since its inception[7](https://chelseagrinband.com/pages/one-sheet). Recent touring bears that out: an Australian co-headliner with Currents was announced in February 2025, a European and UK tour with Signs of the Swarm, Mugshot, and [Crown Magnetar](https://www.edgepedia.org/crown-magnetar) was announced in July 2025, and the band joined [Thy Art Is Murder](https://www.edgepedia.org/thy-art-is-murder) and Skindred on the 2026 RADAR Festival line-up[6](https://lambgoat.com/music/Chelsea-Grin). In April 2026 the band canceled its summer European tour dates, and in June 2026 [Whitechapel](https://www.edgepedia.org/whitechapel) announced its 20th anniversary tour with Chelsea Grin, The Acacia Strain, and Netherwalker[6](https://lambgoat.com/music/Chelsea-Grin). The anniversary run fills the band's late-2026 calendar, from Atlanta in November through Salt Lake City, Anaheim, and Knoxville in December[12](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ917GYbf/chelsea-grin-events?from_tm=true).
Former members have continued in music: Lambgoat's news feed tracks Ameonna, a project featuring ex-members of Chelsea Grin, through a 2025 EP announcement and a first live performance teased in 2026[6](https://lambgoat.com/music/Chelsea-Grin).
## References
1. [Chelsea Grin Tickets, Ticketmaster UK](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/chelsea-grin-tickets/artist/726915)
2. [Chelsea Grin Tickets, Skiddle](https://www.skiddle.com/artists/chelsea-grin-123569570/)
3. [Chelsea Grin Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chelsea-grin-mn0001606876)
4. [Chelsea Grin Members, Albums & Songs, The Band Index](https://thebandindex.com/band/chelsea-grin)
5. [INTERVIEW: Chelsea Grin, Distorted Sound Magazine](https://distortedsoundmag.com/interview-chelsea-grin/)
6. [Chelsea Grin news, Lambgoat](https://lambgoat.com/music/Chelsea-Grin)
7. [One Sheet, Chelsea Grin official site](https://chelseagrinband.com/pages/one-sheet)
8. [Chelsea Grin Biography, Metal Storm](https://metalstorm.net/bands/biography.php?band_id=6709&bandname=Chelsea+Grin)
9. [Chelsea Grin Tickets & 2026 Tour Dates, Jambase](https://www.jambase.com/band/chelsea-grin)
10. [Chelsea Grin Performs At Warehouse Live, Houston Press](https://www.houstonpress.com/music/chelsea-grin-performs-at-warehouse-live-11389933/)
11. [Metal Monday: Chelsea Grin, Ernie Ball](https://www.ernieball.com/blog/artists/metal-monday-chelsea-grin)
12. [Chelsea Grin 2026 Tour Dates, Live Nation](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ917GYbf/chelsea-grin-events?from_tm=true)
13. [Chelsea Grin Part Ways with Vocalist Guitarist Unveil New Track Dead Rose, metalinjection.net](https://metalinjection.net/news/breakups/chelsea-grin-part-ways-with-vocalist-guitarist-unveil-new-track-dead-rose)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Heavy metal scenes › Artists, groups, and people: Heavy metal scenes › Modern Metal & -core › Deathcore artists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license