Interviews About Albums: Nova Riot - Blood, Lies & Lullabies (2026)

In this new interview, we sat down with the American Bubblegum Metal band Nova Riot to ask questions about their album, "Blood, Lies & Lullabies".

1. What can you say about this new EP/CD?

We feel like it’s some of our best work! All of us collectively sat down after this album was finished and looked back, and said we absolutely left nothing on the table with this one. Now that's not to say we don’t have room to grow; as an artist, you should always be growing, but at that moment in time we knew we gave it everything we had and were super proud of what we had accomplished.

2. What is the meaning of the EP/CD name?

Blood, Lies and Lullabies represents our version of See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil. It represents the transition from playful innocence to dark despair and everything in between. We wanted to be intentional with the themes of these songs, but without them being so tied together, we couldn’t have fun with different topics.

3. Who is the composer of the CD/EP?

Orion was the primary composer on this album; I (Nova) wrote the lyrics, and Ares produced and engineered. There was a lot of overlap, though, since we work in such a small, tight unit. Orion and I often write together; some songs like “Sorry Mom” were written that way, with Orion noodling and my vocal melodies kind of finding that push-and-pull moment. Other songs like “Casket” were written, locked in pretty tight in pre-pro before I sat down to write the lyrics.

4. If you had to pick one song, which one would you pick?

That’s honestly a hard question because they all have their moments, but if I had to pick, I'd say ‘Sorry Mom.” A close second would be “Like I Meant It.”

5. Is there a special message in this EP/CD? If there is, what is it?

We wanted to drag people through the whole gamut of emotions, from a more playful approach to severe cries for help, so the message really is just normal everyday life for a lot of people who may not know how to express themselves and the multitude of emotions that we may experience throughout a given time.

6. Are there some lyrics that you'd love to share?

“Reborn in the fire of your cult made hands” from The Altar. I feel like people may misconstrue the meaning of this particular line in the song, so this is a great opportunity to expand on this. It’s when you love someone so much that their hands become like cult leader hands and that you would do anything they say.

7. Which inspirations have been important for this album? Like musically or friends, family, someone you'd love to thank specially?

One of our close musician friends, Aron Drum, who is an amazing artist, definitely influenced the writing of “Sorry Mom.” We (Orion and I) had been playing some acoustic shows with him, and his music was so emotional we were inspired to tell our own story of struggle.

Speaking of Moms, my mother, Missy Ray, was instrumental in making sure I was able to focus the time I needed on creating this album.

8. Something to add?

Don’t be afraid to be genuine! You might be surprised at how many people will accept you for who you are, and remember: Join The Riot!!!!!!!!!!

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