St. Louis’ own, The Lion’s Daughter has consistently produced music that is as unsettling as it is captivating, establishing itself as a formidable presence in the metal world. The Lion’s Daughter has emancipated itself from external control by releasing its latest release, “Bath House,” independently, breaking away from the constraints of corporate labels. This album, an amalgamation of influences ranging from Metallica to Sepultura to Samhain, represents a sound that is both nuanced and irresistibly gripping. The upcoming release of “Bath House,” the latest full-length album from St. Louis horror metal band The Lion’s Daughter, is scheduled for Friday, October 13, 2023.
“I turned the left side of my brain off completely and let a lifetime of soaking up great art just come to the surface naturally. There are bits of all the things I love in there… from old Metallica to film scores to industrial and whatever else, but I think these things have melded together in a way that is cohesive and not just nonsensical genre-hopping. There are clean vocals and guitar solos, a lot of things that we’ve never tried before. It really feels like you uploaded my entire record collection to a hard drive and had an AI create an album based on that” says front man Rick Giordano. While the music on “Bath House” mirrors the band’s diverse musical influences, the lyrics delve into the darkest and most vulnerable aspects of the lyricist’s career. The band abandons fantastical themes in favor of raw and relatable narratives. Giordano reflects, “this time around, it’s all much more personal to me, which makes it a bit difficult and uncomfortable to talk about. I wasn’t in a great place while writing this record. Grief, fear, jealousy, and general devastation can be found all over this thing. That wasn’t my intention exactly, but like the music, I let the lyrics kind of write themselves without letting logic or reason interfere.”
To encapsulate the darkness within the sound and lyrical content “Bath House,” The Lion’s Daughter enlisted UK artist Daniel Peacock to create a grotesque and unsettling album cover. This image not only complements the record but also symbolizes that while “Bath House” maintains the band’s signature sound, it defies expectations. Giordano elaborates, “Our previous two album covers featured masked characters. I wanted to see what happens when you take the mask off. This record isn’t shrouded in mystery the same way the previous couple have been. It’s much more of an in your face kind of attack, and I felt the artwork should represent that. This horrible creature looks dangerous and frightening, but is also clearly in pain and also afraid. It’s the perfect image to represent whatever the fuck ugly thing lives in my head. On this record it is no longer hiding behind a mask… it is loose and it’s right outside your fucking house.”
While new bonds have formed with the addition of a new guitarist, old ties have been severed, with The Lion’s Daughter liberating itself from a label and producing “Bath House” independently for the first time. Giordano expresses his satisfaction with this newfound freedom, stating, “It’s just nice to have 100% control over everything again. That was the whole intention when we started this band years ago. We lost sight of that for a while. No disrespect intended towards anyone, but this band has always been pretty anti-music industry and anti-bullshit.”
The Lion’s Daughter remains the band that cult followers revere, but now with every element amplified to the maximum. With more powerful music, a richer sonic landscape, and darker themes, the band intensifies the terror through its monstrous fusion of debauchery and indescribable perversions.
The Lion’s Daughter recently appeared on the Vulgar Display of Podcast presented by The Barn. Hear the interview here or anywhere you get your podcasts.
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