It’s always sad to see bands retiring when the members are still in their prime. Whether it's from exhaustion from touring, loss of a key band member, or sometimes even fighting among the members. Whatever the cause, fans are always sad to know they will never see some of their favorite bands perform again. However, a silver lining that can sometimes happen is members from previously established bands will come together to create a new supergroup. One of the latest in the hardcore scene combines members from Dillinger Escape Plan, Every Time I Die, and Fit For an Autopsy now known as Better Lovers. They just released their debut album Highly Irresponsible, and they are playing three days in Southern California to promote the album. The third show took place at the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles, CA with Full of Hell, Spy, and Cloakroom joining them for support. As the fans started to fill in the theatre, you could tell people were ready to unleash some chaotic energy.

Getting the night started was shoegaze artist Cloakroom. Right from the start, Cloakroom unleashed a droning sludge filled sound. Vocalist and guitarist Doyle Martin weaved between mumbling atmospheric singing and more clear intelligible melodic vocals. Bassist Bobby Markos has his tone soaking in the fuzz pedal effect as he jammed on stage. While drummer Tim Remis held the pocket for the band, keeping them in time while allowing the crowd to bob with the music. Cloakroom played a short set of songs like “The Pilot,” “Story Of the Egg,” “Lost meaning,” “Light Up,” and “Dissembler.” Cloakroom was a moody atmospheric sound wave of a band to start the show. But it could only get more chaotic from here.

Up next was a band ready to get the pit moving and people to unleash in the crowd. San Jose, CA natives Spy kicked the night off with hardcore energy that let the crowd killer’s roar. Vocalist Peter Pawlak’s tenacious screams carried emotion and anger in them that could be felt in the soul of the crowd. Guitarists Drew Satterlund and Cody Kryst added crunch and distortion to their tone that carried chaos and malice. Bassist Thomas Sherry was probably the most animated person on stage, constantly jumping and pounding his fist into his axe. Drummer Josh Mendoza kept the punk beats strong with blasts that let the crowd go hectic. This was the band that first got the pit moving for the night. Spy played a set of many quick and fast paced songs like “Running Out of Space,” “Koniec,” “Surveilled,” “Mob,” “Do What I Can,” “Exceptional American,” “Bootlicker,” “Carceral Attitude,” “Violent Majority,” “Big Man,” and ending with “Afraid of Everything.” This was the energy that was to be carried through the rest of the night.

The penultimate band for the night was known as Full of Hell. This grindcore band helms from Ocean City, Maryland, and Central Pennsylvania and was here to unleash chaos upon Southern California. Vocalist Dylan Walker nearly burst his forehead veins with how much force he puts into his screaming technique. Guitarist Gabe Solomon used his guitar as more of an experimental art piece creating sounds and effects along with chugging away at the strings. Bassist Sam DiGristine was locked in with drummer Dave Bland whose blast beats were face melting. The speed and energy that Bland plays with sent the moshers into a frenzy that could barely be stopped. Full of Hell made the most of their set time with songs like “Deluminate,” “Asphyxiate Blessing,” “Doors to Mental Agony,” “Transmuting Chemical Burns,” “Crawling Back to God,” “Amber Mote,” “Schizoid Rupture,” “Bone Coral and Brine,” “Gelding of Men,” “Reeking Tunnels,” “Coagulated Bliss,” and ending with “Guided Blight.”

The crowd had been sufficiently warmed up, and still had plenty of energy to give our headliners, Better Lovers.  As soon as their first song started “Lie Between the Lines,” the crowd rushed the stage. Better Lovers truly brought out the animals in the crowd, as all hell was breaking loose. Fans were crowd surfing and stage diving over each other. The mosh pit was a chaotic frenzy of crowd killers throwing windmill kicks, and we couldn’t get enough of the energy. Vocalist Greg Puciato was nearly in the crowd as he was constantly screaming into the faces of the front row. Fans rushed to the front for a chance to sing into the mic with Greg. Guitarist Jordan Buckley was a ball of energy constantly jumping in the air and off the monitors and amps, while fellow guitarist Will Putney traded off lead lines with Buckley. Bassist Steve Micciche and drummer Clayton “Goose” Holyoak were the dynamic duo keeping the low end heavy and the beat steady. Better Lovers kept up the energy and the crowds ferocity for songs like “Sacrificial Participant,” “Your Misplaced Self,” “Become So Small,” “Superman Died Paralyzed,” “A White Horse Covered in Blood,” “Drowning in a Burning World,” “The Flowering,” “Two Alive Amongst the Dead,” “Future Myopia,” “AT All Times,” “God Made Me an Animal,” “Love as an Act of Rebellion,” “Rusty Cage,” and ending with “30 Under 13.” With the final song, Greg Puciato took the show to a whole new level when he walked out with a flaming torch. As fans gathered around the front of the stage, Greg unleashed a huge fireball over the crowd multiple times. Even handing the flaming torch to a fan, to fire breath while the crowd held the flame. Truly lighting the place up like no other band has before.

Better Lovers is carving out a place for themselves quickly. People that have already discovered the band have become hardcore dedicated fans and come to these live shows ready to share their passion for the music. I can only imagine how much more quickly they will grow in fanbase as they get out in front of more eyes. Better Lovers has already announced their next tour where they will be supporting Poison the Well across North America for all of April 2025. If you are looking for a band with passionate fans and to unleash your inner madman, I highly recommend making it out to the next Better Lovers show that comes near you.