Blackout Pact

"When we first started, the way that we all knew each other was that we were all the biggest drunks at the party," says Herrera. "We were in different bands, and we were always the biggest fuckups. And then when everything around us started getting serious, we still had the same stupid mentality. We had so many illnesses and hospital trips on tour due to drinking or stomach pumps for, like, overdose, it was ridiculous."

Not as ridiculous as, say, taking trips to the hospital feigning sickness and giving fake names in order to get painkillers, another alleged band antic. Then there were detours to detox, no doubt inspired by days of drinking until they puked blood, followed by the shakes of alcohol withdrawal.

As out of control as things got, the band's chemistry was something special, unlike anything he'd seen, Hackl says. He and his bandmates rarely fought, but even he -- hardly a straight-edge proponent -- occasionally admonished them for their erratic behavior. "It's not like I didn't drink and I didn't party," he confesses. "Yeah, I fuckin' got rowdy just as much as the rest of them. But there's a difference between partying, getting nuts, doing stupid things and then just being complete idiots."

So what's next for these musicians post-Pact? Some are talking about moving, while others are looking for steady jobs. Mostly, they're trying to adjust to not being on the road for the first time in quite a while.

"I don't regret any of it," Hackl concludes. "I had a fucking blast."