It finally happened. Better Lovers, the mash-up of ex-Every Time I Die and Greg Puciato from Dillinger Escape Plan and Killer Be Killed, have made their way to Southern California. In a room no bigger than a Starbucks, hoards of people filed in to thrash and have a good time. Every Time I Die and Dillinger always had a reputation for violent and crazy shows, so naturally, the expectations were high.
Opening the show was Entry from LA. I was introduced to them just a week prior when they opened for Converge. The vibe and crowd reaction was already different from the moment they kicked off their set. Moshers made themselves known as they slam-danced in the center of the floor.
Moments after Entry's set, some of those moshers took to the stage to set up. Enter Roman Candle. The screamo band hailing from Las Vegas stood up on the stage as Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas" blared through the house speakers until they kicked off the first song. Frontwoman, Piper Ferrari, commanded the stage and audience with her howls. This was my first time hearing Roman Candle and I was blown away. I look forward to seeing this band grow and develop.
It was finally time for Better Lovers. The lights went out and a montage of song clips with "love" in the lyrics began to play. The intro cycled through blips of tracks from "All You Need is Love" and "Love in an Elevator" to American Nightmare's "Love American" and even Adam Sandler's rendition of "Love Stinks" from The Wedding Singer. The intro ended with the opening of Queen's "Somebody to Love." Greg Puciato looked to the crowd, where a young girl sat upon her father's shoulders. He asked for assurance that her ear muffs were on tight and if she was ready to go. She threw a thumbs up and the band blasted into "Become So Small." The crowd exploded! Bodies began to fly to and from the stage.
The band continued to play through their 4-song debut EP, God Made Me an Animal, but four songs aren't exactly enough to fill a headlining spot. Fortunately, they came prepared with new tracks to fill the extra time. On top of their original material, they also threw in a cover of Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage." All parties involved delivered on the ferocity one would hope to witness seeing these artists perform. Will Putney and Steve Micciche never stopped whipping their hair back and forth while Buckley threw himself into the crowd. Puciato opted to jump feet first.
Better Lovers is the spiritual successor that fans of Every Time I Die and Dillinger Escape Plan will find easy to gravitate to. They're providing the energy that fans have been aching to release and it showed. Every ounce of intensity Better Lovers threw at the crowd, was given right back. That band has already made a name for itself and they're well on their way to forging their own path. Let's hope the road ahead is long. The ride will be a wild one.
