“What we did see… was something altogether different, and immeasurably more hideous and detestable. It was the utter, objective embodiment of the fantastic novelist’s ‘thing that should not be.’” - H.P. Lovecraft, “At The Mountains of Madness”
Some creations are designed to elicit nightmares, evoking unspeakable terrors that are meant to shock, terrify, and mesmerize the masses. Since the release of its first full-length in 2012, The Lion’s Daughter has consistently put forth music that is just as disturbing as it is enticing, making a name for itself as a dark force among its musical contemporaries. And much like an eldritch horror, the band is constantly shape shifting like a Shoggoth, capable of fitting into many different musical spaces, while at the same time, fitting into no earthly dimensions just as an ancient alien rising up from centuries of arctic slumber with a mission to destroy and conquer.
And much like the Shoggoth, The Lion’s Daughter have defied all gods and masters, releasing its latest opus as an independent entity, breaking away from the corporate confines of a label. ‘Bath House’ is another generically unclassified masterpiece from the St. Louis horror quartet, pulling elements from everything from Faith No More to Godflesh to Samhain, creating a sound that’s way ahead of its time and yet certain to grab the listener by the throat.
“Saying that this album was influenced by everything-that-I’ve-ever-liked-ever isn’t a very good answer, but it’s an accurate one,” explains frontman Rick Giordano on the band’s unique sound. “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.”
As the music itself on ‘Bath House’ is a representation of Giordano’s musical palette, the lyrics are perhaps the darkest and most vulnerable of his career. The band strays away from fantasy on this record and instead, gets raw and relatable. “It’s all really ugly shit,” he says of the new album’s themes. “Which, for our band, is not shocking at all. But 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 further illustrate the darkness that dwells within ‘Bath House,’ The Lion’s Daughter commissioned a perverse and unnerving image from UK artist Daniel Peacock for the album cover. The image not only works well in cohesion with the record, but also symbolizes that while ‘Bath House’ still very much carries the band’s signature sound, it still isn’t exactly what fans might expect. Giordano explains, “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.”
As the St. Louis horror masters set forth on a new trajectory, the former trio has also added Black Fast guitarist Aaron Akin to the lineup, creating a sound that’s more intense and grand. “Aaron was the guitarist and vocalist of a band called Black Fast. They were hands down the best metal band to come out of St. Louis in decades. Once they disbanded, it was a no-brainer to try and get the guy who fronted my favorite local band to be in my band. Why wouldn’t I? Plus, as anyone who knows Aaron will tell you, he’s an all around great guy,” explains Giordano on how this new union came about.
And as a new union has been formed, former binds have been severed as The Lion’s Daughter is no longer tied to a label, doing this record fully independently for the first time in its career and taking full and total control. “It’s just nice to have 100% control over everything again,” Giordano says of the band’s new freedom. “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.”
Despite so many changes, The Lion’s Daughter is still the same band that cult followers have come to worship, but with everything cranked up to 11. With heavier music, a fuller sound, and darker themes, the band is maximizing terror with its monstrous brand of debauchery and unspeakable perversions. Unpleasant dreams…
Recording Lineup:
Rick Giordano - vocals, guitars, bass, synths
Erik Ramsier - drums
Scott Fogelbach - additional vocals on tracks 2, 7, 8
Live Lineup:
Rick Giordano - guitar and vocals
Scott Fogelbach - bass and vocals
Aaron Akin - guitar
Erik Ramsier - drums
Guest Musicians:
Sarah Vie - violin and vocals on tracks 2, 4, 7, 9
Recording Studio:
Encapsulated Studios
Producer // Sound Engineer // Mixing // Mastering:
Gabe Usery
Cover Artist:
Dan Peacock
Photographer:
Chris Bauer
Links:
Bandcamp
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YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music
