Deathcore, the subgenre that took the late 2000’s by storm and is still muscling along today. Like many subgenres before it, multiple generations of bands come together and play their own particular brand of the given subgenre. In terms of deathcore, one earlier generation example that did not experiment themselves away from their roots is Chelsea Grin. They have released their sixth studio album (the first of a two part series) entitled Suffer In Hell (ONErpm) with the sister album, Suffer In Heaven, due out in 2023.
The opening track ‘Origin of Sin’ sets the table for what to expect throughout Suffer In Hell. Deep growls muscle alongside high-end shrieking vocals, familiar chugging guitar riffs, and accompanying orchestration in the background, which is mixed in just right so as not to overstep, but can be easily heard. Later on we come upon the song, ‘Floodlungs’, which may be my favorite on the whole record. The main riff is quite experimental compared to the rest of the album as it is a change from the chugging riffs and utilizes some delay and reverb with cleans to give off a feeling of despair and uncertainty. This song did not need a breakdown and was very welcome in the middle of the album.
Closing track ‘Suffer in Hell, Suffer in Heaven’ is the shortest at just over two minutes but packs a punch to close out the album. If there are not enough breakdowns or sufficient brutality for you yet, this is the track to get excited for, as it closes the album out with just once continuous beatdown.
Chelsea Grin has never been my first choice when being asked for deathcore recommendations, not out of spite, though this group has been through quite a few lineup changes over the years. For a first impression, this particular lineup on Suffer In Hell seems to click. While deathcore may be played out to an extent at this point, I have to admit this was one of the first albums in a while that I listened to quite a few times rather than the “one and done”, which should speak volumes on what these guys were able to put together.
Buy the album here: https://www.chelseagrinband.com/
7 / 10
TIM LEDIN