Nova Ray of bubblegum metal band Nova Riot told us about her Slipknot experience at Rocklahoma...
Nova Ray: The best show I ever saw hands down would be Slipknot at Rocklahoma in 2024. I’ve been a fan of Slipknot since middle school. I had all their albums hard copy, and it was a dream of mine for a long time to see them. I was immediately drawn to their look and the horror theme they had, but the way their music can make me feel is what turned me to a super fan. They are in my top 5 favorite bands for sure, maybe even my favorite. I had no clue the special treat I was in for--they played their entire 1999 album including the song “Scissors.” I got to see them with my brother--it was our first show to get to see together so it really meant a lot. My brother is who showed me them and got me into the heavier music scene, so to experience one of our favorite bands together, I’ll alway be grateful for.
As an artist myself I really take inspiration from Slipknot, especially when it comes to aesthetic. Watching them on that stage really was like watching my own dreams. I couldn’t help but fantasize what it would feel like to play to a crowd of 60k people. They played the drums on the kegs live as I was expecting, but it was so cool to see in person. They had samples from horror movies play before they came out, leaving me very inspired to want to keep my own art on the horror-related side and use a similar but different style of theatrics in my own art and performances. I have seen lots of amazing shows over the years, but Slipknot really left a deep impression on me that inspired me truly. The most important thing I took from them is they truly loved what they were doing and had fun with it.
Nova Riot's "Midnight Coven Crush" is out now...
Photo by Paris Pipkin
