You’ve Got Another Slice Coming

On a good day, St. Louis is not an easy town to build something in, and let’s face it, St. Louis only gets about ten good days a year. The rest of the time STL is filled with weather that alternately wants to bake, freeze, or break everything, infrastructure that was considered outdated last millennium, and a government that seems to devalue any part of the city that’s not a sports team. So to build anything in this city you have to really want it, and be really determined. Thankfully Rick Giordano, part creator of soon-to-be defunct metal legends The Lion’s Daughter and full creator/proprietor of the already legendary pizzeria The Headless Bat really is. 

Both the band and the restaurant are a product of Giordano’s personal fascinations and aesthetics, the place where heavy metal, horror, and a darkly absurd sense of humor meet. The Lion’s Daughter has been blasting their brand of terror synth metal and sounding like the score to some apocalyptic movie you haven’t seen yet across countless recordings and on stages all over, but it all started from the singer/guitarist’s desire for change.

“We started in 2007 after our drummer and I quit someone else’s band that we both hated,” Giordano says. “The Lion’s Daughter was kind of a direct response to that band, which was trying really hard to be popular and commercial. That was the era where metalcore and all that bullshit was huge, so we figured we may as well do whatever the fuck we want, because no one is going to like it anyway.”

People did like it though, and through time and stubborn insistence on doing their thing The Lion’s Daughter has become consistently great at their uniquely atmospheric yet monolithic sound. However, some creative minds always need a new hill to climb and Giordano’s is always running. Feeling restless while the rest of the world shut down and seeking a new challenge, he decided to go in a completely different direction and open a restaurant. 

“During the COVID lockdown days, Kenny (Snarzyk) from Fister and I were talking about doing a to-go pizza place together,” Giordano remembers. “Shit, he may have come up with the idea altogether and I just stole it from him. He got busy with other things so I started thinking about what I would do with a pizza joint if it were all my own. Writing ideas down in a notebook just like you would when starting a band or something.” And so the Headless Bat was conceived.

After conception, the well-crafted heavy metal pizzeria just south of Tower Grove didn’t take long to be birthed screaming into the world. “Weirdly not long at all,” recounts Giordano. “Have an idea, find a space, sign a lease, and now there’s no turning back so you better figure out how to make your ideas a reality, but it was honestly difficult as Hell. I’d never even worked in a restaurant before. I’m not a chef. I don’t know shit. I’m just a guy who wanted to create a place that this city was lacking, and I was stupid enough to take the risk and give it a shot, but I can’t say enough for hiring good people and not being afraid to ask questions. I’m lucky to have many friends in the industry, and there was never any shortage of help available when I needed advice or favors.”

With a vibe meticulously curated from Giordano’s personal cultural collection, the warmly lit and clean restaurant seems like the inviting rec room of your friend who always wants to share their metal playlist, tell you about the imported Fulci box set they found, beat you at pinball, then mix you a fun cocktail with a name like ‘Gremlin Tit’ and share some great pizza. Both the bar area and the tables have plenty of space for patrons and the music is loud enough to hear clearly but not too loud for conversation. For people who like that sort of vibe, this is one of the best examples in the area and the attention to detail it’s creator put into it are obvious.

“Honestly the place that exists today is pretty fucking accurate to what I’d imagined,” tells Giordano. “The food, bar, atmosphere, location, and even the clientele are really faithful to that original concept I had in my mind. I just wanted to see a place that more closely represented the stuff I like. This was a selfish endeavor really, a place for me and the stuff I think is cool! It hasn’t really taken away the creative focus from anything else at this point. I was literally bouncing back and forth between writing, recording, and mixing the last Lion’s Daughter record and painting, installing equipment, testing recipes, and whatever else to set up the Headless Bat.”

The wellspring of determination that made the pizzeria live is the same one that runs through Giordano’s everyday life. “For me, any kind of creative process is generally the same, whether it’s writing music, painting, setting up a menu and organizing a restaurant, picking out which goddamn T-shirt to wear…it’s all about following your instincts and trusting your gut. You have to do whatever you want and fuck whatever everyone else thinks.” 

Running the two distinct creative enterprises has kept Giordano busy, but he feels The Lion’s Daughter project has run its natural course. It will be put to its final rest Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Off Broadway. The band, who has always been very generous with their time to help animal charities, is putting on a farewell show in the form of a benefit for the Stray Rescue of St. Louis, also featuring heavyweights like Fister, Sine Nomine, Path Of Might, and Furnace Floor. The soon-to-be former member is prosaic about it all. “This isn’t a sad thing. We’re raising money for pups, and bands should end! Some bands just stick around too damn long and wear out their welcome, and I don’t want us to be one of those.”

The Headless Bat is a year and a half old now, which makes it all grown up in restaurant years. They’ve figured out what makes them tick and how to do it well, with an array of delicious whole pies, wings, and themed cocktails, along with slices, vegan options, and N/A drinks available for those that get down that way. More than anything, they know how to have a good time doing the things Giordano is passionate about. “Headless Bat is just gonna keep doing what we do,” he says. “Rolling out new pizza and cocktail specials monthly, always adding new beers to try, watching horror movies and old wrestling matches, having drag shows, and generally whatever else sounds like fun to us!”

Come say a fond final FUCK OFF to The Lion’s Daughter on Saturday, June 21^st at Off Broadway (3509 Lemp Ave). Go to https://www.offbroadwaystl.com/ for details.

The Headless Bat (3128 Morgan Ford Rd) is open every day but Monday for you to come hang out and try their excellent menu. Check out the Rattlehead and Meatless Bat pies, and we’ve been told the Conjurer and Blood Moon cocktails are delicious. Go to https://www.headlessbat.com/ for details.

All photos by author. You can see even more of his photography at @sonicgallerystl.