Chelsea Grin have chosen to drop off their support slot on Motionless in White and Everytime I Die’s ‘Graveyard Shift’ tour. The deathcore band made the difficult decision for the sake of vocalist Alex Koehler and his “declining health.”

With four studio albums and 10 years of making music under the belt, Chelsea Grin have been one of deathcore’s leaders in the 2010s. The Utah band has toured relentlessly for years, but the road has taken a toll on Koehler, who is now “under medical care” for unspecified issues.

Chelsea Grin broke the news to fans last night (Feb. 20) via Facebook:

To our fans,
We are entirely gutted to so suddenly inform you that we will need to drop off of the Motionless in White Graveyard Shift North American tour. In this situation, we feel the need to be entirely honest. It may or may not have been apparent, but for a while now Alex Koehler has been in declining health, and has been unable to surmount the rigors of being on the road. He is currently under medical care, making good progress, and improving daily. Initially, the rest of us were determined to make this tour happen and deliver to you the best Chelsea Grin experience we could, even without Alex. We arrived home from tracking our upcoming record with only two full days to work, and as soon as we shifted our focus from the record and geared up for the run, we knew we were unprepared. Beyond just a rushed rehearsal schedule, we’ve found ourselves very concerned with taking the stage in our current state. The duress of this album process and being so sick/conflicted for our brother has driven us each to a compromised and unsustainable mental and emotional position. When we consider the longevity of our band, this is the only choice. We’ve waited so long to play for North America again, but cannot in good conscience return to deliver a performance that is not representative of the band at our best. Again, we are so deeply apologetic that we will not be able to accompany our brothers in Motionless in White, Every Time I Die and Ice Nine Kills, and even moreso that we will not be performing for or engaging with our fans. We are so grateful to our crew for their unending support and understanding, and to Davier Perez for working so hard stepping in for Pablo while he would have filled in for Alex.

It is very important for you to know that we are taking our situation head-on. We have a record that we are supremely confident and excited in (with the expert assistance of Drew Fulk and Joshua Travis), and are as committed as ever to furthering our music and the relationship we have with our supporters. Thank you all for your understanding, and we will be seeing you soon.

Taking Chelsea Grin’s place on the tour will be Like Moths to Flames, who will begin the cycle Feb. 27 in Clive, Iowa. For the full list of tour dates, click here.

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