SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BAT LIPS – BAT LIPS III

BAT LIPS
BAT LIPS III
INDEPENDENT

Having released Bat Lips II in 2019, the Austin-based metal outfit Bat Lips have returned. For their third, the trio has released the three-song EP Bat Lips III, a brutal tour de force of alternative metal.

Bat Lips III opens with “Cybertooth”, a blistering song fuelled by throaty screams and winding passages that feel inspired by a unique blend of classic thrash metal and ‘90s alternative rock of the likes of Faith No More. The song is further aided by a dive-bombing solo in the tone of Dimebag Darrell and a shifting pulse that dips into a half-time feel, adding a sense of momentum.

The EP continues with the lead single, “Subway Splatter”. Largely more melodic than the previous song – particularly the verse and pre-chorus – “Subway Splatter” showcases a level of range in Bat Lip’s songwriting. Lead by crunching guitars, a distorted bass riff, and drums that snap hard, “Subway Splatter” is a far more modern sounding track until the band break ins into a double-time, shredding guitar solo, nostalgic for Megadeth. The album comes to a close with “Transmission From Our Mistress Scepter”, a song with a far more alternative take on modern metal, making it truly unique to Bat Lips. It is a hard-hitting, sludgy, and abrasive track that continues to build on the unique brand of songwriting and performance behind Bat Lips III.

Clocking in at just over twelve-and-a-half minutes, Bat Lips III is an absolute ripper of a record that pulls from several artists, eras, and subgenres of metal for inspiration. As a result, Bat Lips continue to build a unique sound for themselves as an underground, alternative metal band that should be considered a sensation among their scene.

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