Chelsea Grin is Artery's 1st signing

With the release of its independently released self-titled extended play in 2008, Utah's own deathcore band Chelsea Grin became Artery Records first signing.

Since the band — bassist Dan, drummer Andrew, vocalist Alex and guitarists Jaek, Dan and Michael — was already under the Artery management, it seemed fitting to sign with the record company.

"We were signed under another label, and the deal was to put the EP into stores," said Jaek during in interview with the Deseret News. "Our management was with Artery, and the band's manager, Mike Milford, said he was starting up a new label. He said we would be like a test. They asked if we wanted to do it and we said yes."

The band is seeing more doors open for it since the signing.

First off, the new album "Desolation of Eden," is in stores now. And the band is gearing up to tour with fellow death metal band Impending Doom.

"The tour is routed around the New England Metal Fest in April," said Jaek. "We're actually opening the main stage, which is a huge thing for us."

Band members, with the exception of David, hail from Utah, said Jaek. "Dave is from Ohio, but Michael is from Roy and the rest of us are from the Salt Lake area and have influences that range from '80s metal of Slayer and Megadeth, to '90s music like Took and A Perfect Circle to older hardcore and metalcore bands like Remembering Never and Scars of Tomorrow."

As for the style of Chelsea Grin (the name comes from a form of torture that is evident on the scars of the late Heath Ledger's version of the Joker), Jaek said the band knows it is a deathcore band.

"We know we play breakdowns and we'll continue to play them," he said. "But with this CD, we're trying to do something different to set us apart.

"That's why we play some more melodic parts on the new CD," he said. "Our EP was a little more to the point and to the book and all we did was just play heavy, but the new CD we do a lot more, including our instrumental, 'Elysium.'

"We're still a heavy band but slowly incorporating more melodic bouncy parts in the music, and we're doing it subtly. So it frees us up for playing different things in the future."

The band had only one month to prepare for the recording sessions for "Desolation of Eden," Jaek said.

"We got home from a tour in July last year and we were in the studio the first week in August.