After 18 years and five full-length albums as frontman to The Lion’s Daughter, Rick Giordano decided “the daughter had to die so that the mother could live.” If that sounds morbid, it’s on purpose, as Giordano’s new project, Blood Mother,1 offers itself as a “score to your own personal horror film.” In forming this new project, Giordano further forges his musical independence, having previously divorced his music from the confines of a label (Season of Mist) for 2023’s Bath House. This allows him to create music that doesn’t fit neatly into any one category, and it makes sense that Blood Mother play an unconventional genre: post-metal. The question looms on Blood Mother’s self-titled debut whether Giordano is able to achieve success on his own terms.
Blood Mother hits plenty of experimental beats, blending atmospheric elements with bouts of impressive riffs. An early guitar riff on “Bonecanter” scratches the Kyuss itch, and his simple yet catchy approach to riffcraft shows up time and again throughout the record. Blood Mother keeps the songwriting simple, but it’s far from boring. Some of the riff-heavy portions sound reminiscent of The Lion’s Daughter, but Blood Mother is less heavy and less industrial. Giordano plays with guitar tones, mixing up sleek riffs, acoustic arpeggios (“Trail of Screaming Dead”), and plenty of heavy reverb à la Cult of Luna (“The Night Fires,” “The Wound of Heaven”). It’s not all about riffs, however. Blood Mother incorporate plenty of atmospheric techniques, including synths, to set up eerie, sometimes sinister moods—”The Night Fires” perfectly encapsulates this approach, beginning with unsettling synths before easing into an energetic pace. Natural sounds also make their way into the music, with crickets chirping at the start and end of “The Night Fires,” and birds and monkeys calling out on “The Wound of Heaven.” These flourishes add subtle touches to the sense of unease bubbling beneath the surface.
Giordano proves an adept songwriter, composing music that patiently builds up to a climax and tells a story. Blood Mother masterfully set the mood, be that the eeriness of “The Night Fires” or the Western, Wayfarer-esque feel of “Lost in Thunder.” But he also realizes mood isn’t enough, and that’s where the riff comes in, not to mention some impressive drumming from Ramsier. On the masterful “Trail of Screaming Dead,” Blood Mother methodically builds upon itself, beginning with organs, then jumping into lively drums and riffs, slowly adding new elements until some memorable tremolos bring the song to a conclusion. The music feels like gritty poetry, and the lyrics reflect this, written in poetic form and performed artistically in Giordano’s husky growls.
At just over 30 minutes, Blood Mother is a morsel rather than a full feast, and its conclusion leaves it somewhat wanting. Of the six songs that comprise that runtime, five of them are terrific pieces that eschew traditional structures, filling up spaces with music that can be thoughtful, deliberate, and sometimes exciting. On occasion, Blood Mother make some odd choices, such as synths in the final minute of “The Night Fires” that are deliberately jarring as they switch from one speaker to the other. Yet it’s the record’s finale, “Pulled Apart,” that doesn’t quite hold a light to the tracks that precede it. It still contains great ideas, including some nifty riffs and kitwork, but also some noises that just don’t blend into the music very well. It’s the one tune that doesn’t quite hit as hard as the others, and the concluding fade-out ends Blood Mother on an anticlimactic disappearing act.
For me, this was the perfect promo to match my mood. I wanted something that entertained without being formulaic. I wanted something that didn’t hit the usual beats, but wasn’t too weird. Blood Mother checks all those boxes. Sure, Giordano may have a few kinks to work out, but for a first-time striking it out (mostly) on his own, this is a pretty remarkable record, one that’s full of surprises and nuances that make for rewarding repeat listens.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Website: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: June 19th, 2026
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