A Dirty Dozen with NOVA RIOT – May 2026

According to a recent press release: “Eclipse Records is thrilled to announce the signing of an exclusive worldwide deal with NOVA RIOT from Durant, Oklahoma (USA) that is redefining the boundaries of heavy music with their signature “bubblegum alternative metal” sound. Their music acts as a form of modern alchemy, transforming themes of mental health and self-mastery into powerful, melodic anthems for a new generation of metal fans. The band recently wrapped up production of their debut full-length album entitled Blood, Lies, and Lullabies which will be released via Eclipse Records on August 21, 2026. Operating under the defiant mantra of “Music with No Apologies,” the trio—consisting of vocalist Nova Ray, bassist Orion, and lead guitarist Ares—has pioneered a high-octane sound they describe as bubblegum alternative metal. This unique sonic territory blends gritty defiance with polished melodicism, positioning the band alongside contemporary heavyweights like Poppy and The Pretty Reckless.” We get Nova & Orion to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

“The Altar” is particularly special because we got to collaborate with one of my all-time favorite bands The Bunny The Bear! Diving into the psyche of the lyrics “The Altar” represents the internal struggles of spellbinding love. Love can be dark at times and manipulative and we sought to bring more attention to the dark side of love. They might not grasp the metaphor when we say “cult made hands” that sometimes we worship the people we love with a very cult-like demeanor never questioning their leadership or words. We just follow blindly. The more you really listen to the song the more rooted in reality it becomes and less of a fictional horror story. Nova Riot always puts little easter eggs into our content for our fans! A good magician never reveals their secrets though lol!

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Nova: I decided at age 6 I was going to be a rock star! My brother asked my mom “how are we going to tell her she can’t sing?” lol but here I am a true testament that if you want it badly enough and you work hard enough you can achieve even the unlikeliest of dreams. I think every human at some point dreams of being a rock star lol, so I don’t feel special in that regard, but it was just something that I was just drawn to and never lost the love for.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Well yes and no. All artist are ultimately influenced by someone or something, and we have written music across multiple genres and in other projects but for this particular project we chose this sound due to our love for horror and wanting to combine visual aesthetics with strong music and well I don’t think very many genres really blend well with horror so lol. I mean we certainly take direction from many pioneers that came before us like Rob Zombie, Slipknot, Mushroomhead and a few others but we try to do it more in a bubble gum way. Think Punky Brewster meets Wednesday Adams but with heavy music!

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Corey Taylor of Slipknot probably would top the list, due to his particular vocal styling and lyrical prowess.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

Nova: Art. I like to paint, read books on philosophy, and spend time with my family. I’m a mom so that’s always going to be a big activity for me! Do people have a life outside of their band? Lol I mean yeah music is a part of my life daily, I also create all our props and masks, so I am always creating art, shooting videos, or writing music. On occasion I like to camp!

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Orion: Describing your own music is like shaving your own back lol it might be awkward but best left to someone else but if I had to describe it to someone that had never heard it before I would say that its dark, emotionally charged, authentic, heavy rock music made to engage the listener or viewer. We had someone say we made “sad Lesbian music” which I understand as a legit genre lol though I don’t know how we fit though Nova might would disagree and by no means a stab at sad lesbian music artist out there I just felt like that was an awkward comparison, also someone commented on a video saying “The 80s called and wants their video back”  which made me laugh but some people lol.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Nova: I’d say more restaurants than cookouts due to us trying to be more healthy, I know that’s a bit boring but lol, we are also sober so we pack lots of waters and topo chicos, maybe some waterloos, everyone has their own faves so we usually pack in our own drinks,  I know rockstars are supposed to be about partying it up but that’s just not sustainable when you get to a certain age lol. Orion is the one who would break out an acoustic for a singalong, the guitar pretty much lives in his hands!

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Nova: I will be starstruck when I see Ashniko at an upcoming concert I have tickets to!

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Nova: I get to make my vision become reality, working with talented people who could not love every minute of that! As far as a dream job goes there was never another option for me, I was very intentional with my words all my life.

Orion: Dream job? I already have that lol, plan b was to get my real estate license, and I already did that so if you need to buy or sell real estate in Oklahoma, I’m your guy lol.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I don’t know, that’s a tough question, I feel like we are pretty much an open book so even if you haven’t asked a question we feel like we have already given an answer by really putting everything out there in advance. I’m not sure we have ever gotten tired of answering a certain question but hopefully we have so many interviews this year we can officially add something to that list!

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Orion: Oh absolutely, I feel like years and years of grinding in other bands was probably a huge waste of energy, in my early years I thought that music would stand alone on its own and never really cared for the aesthetics of it all but after really focusing on building a brand first with Nova Riot I can clearly see where I made a lot of mistakes in my early years. Would I do things differently if I knew then what I know? Absolutely.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Nova: Don’t Go by Bring Me The Horizon, that’s when I fell in  love with heavier music, that album is very pivotal for me and it would have been amazing to have been able to contribute to the record that changed my life as an artist and fan.

NOVA RIOT LINKS:

FACEBOOK

X

INSTAGRAM

Category: Interviews