The Forgiven

Bill Branstetter
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  • Music Interviews

The Forgiven is real talk with Christian rock and metal artists. Bill Branstetter (Out of the Depths) and Kate Nardone (Rock of Ages on AscendFM) find emerging bands they love and get them on camera. We ask what fans actually want to ask: how they met Jesus, what church looks like for them now, how the band started, and the real life stuff behind the songs. Then we have some fun with the Lightning Round, band Superlatives, and fan questions. Past guests include Pipe Bomb, Drive Thru Society, and Poetry On Fire. New episodes twice a month. This show is a ministry. We're here to support, invest in, and pray for the artists making heavy music for Jesus. New here? Pick an episode with a band you love and hit play.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    TikTok Preacher to Christian Metal | amen

    One day amen is going to stop making music. No announcement, no farewell record, no goodbye. He is twenty-two, he is a pastor, and he told us he already knows how this ends. "One day this is gonna end and when it does, it's gonna happen suddenly and I'm just not gonna make another song again. I'm not gonna say bye." When we asked how we could pray for him, that was the answer: that he would be able to let it go when the time comes. amen is a Christian metal project out of South Carolina, and every lyric is scripture. He dropped out of nursing school on a full scholarship to make it and had to pay one of them back. Before that he was an electrician for two and a half years. He built over a hundred thousand followers on TikTok preaching, three videos past two million views each, before he ever released a song. His first album earned a plaque for a million streams, and by the time we recorded he said it had nearly tripled. He has never played a live show and does not plan to. The hard part of this conversation was hearing someone that young describe the years he stood in a pulpit he knew he did not belong in. The Forgiven is a community of Christian rock and metal artists. We are looking for emerging artists and bringing our favorites on the show to hear about their walk with God, how they came to know Jesus, and what church looks like for them today. Hosted by Bill Branstetter (Out of the Depths, a project setting every Psalm to metal, word for word) and Kate Nardone, host of Rock of Ages show on AscendFM. Subscribe to hear where these artists go next. CHAPTERS 0:00 The day he stops making music 0:31 Who amen is 1:37 Two truths and a lie 2:09 He dropped out of nursing school on a full scholarship 4:40 Where his faith actually started 7:23 His worst years came after he got saved 10:26 Why he calls stage cues in church deception 11:19 A pulpit he knew he did not belong in 11:48 He excommunicated himself 15:45 Telling his wife the truth 18:47 How a teenager ended up on church staff 21:27 Forty-two hours preaching on a livestream 25:04 What discipleship looks like on a media team 31:06 The window, the prayer rug, and the open Bible 35:24 What he would tell his eighteen-year-old self 37:44 Where the name amen came from 41:14 A plaque on the wall and three million streams 43:15 Why he will never play a live show 46:00 What his church thinks of the music 47:23 Collabs with Tiffany Twisted and Poetry on Fire 51:50 Lightning round, and the socks 56:22 One song a month, on purpose 58:29 How he turns scripture into lyrics 1:06:52 Kate prays amen: https://www.instagram.com/music.amen/ Bill Branstetter: https://www.instagram.com/outofthedepthsmusic/ Kate Nardone: https://www.instagram.com/radiohostkatehartnardone/ #amen #ChristianMetal #ScriptureMetal #TheForgiven

  2. Aug 12

    You Don't Want To Get Better | MAGDALENE ROSE

    Maggie Rojas spent years asking God to fix her. It took her husband to point out that she didn't actually want to get better yet. She got saved at 11 and spent most of the next decade convinced her problems weren't dramatic enough to bother God with. No rock bottom, no big story. Just insecurity, depression, an eating disorder, and a quiet belief that she had to earn love before she was allowed to ask for help. Then Blaise said the thing nobody else had said: "I think you don't want to get better, and I think you need to ask God to help you want to." What she did with that is the rest of the episode. Maggie fronts Magdalene Rose, a Christian metalcore band out of Nashville on RockFest Records. Blaise plays drums for her and for Seventh Day Slumber, whose frontman is his dad. Their debut record, The Heart That Bloomed After Death, came out last year after three years of work. The hard part of this one is the stretch where she came off her medication on tour with no doctor returning her calls, and she doesn't tidy it up for us. The Forgiven is a community of Christian rock and metal artists. We are looking for emerging artists and bringing our favorites on the show to hear about their walk with God, how they came to know Jesus, and what church looks like for them today. Hosted by Bill Branstetter (Out of the Depths, a project setting every Psalm to metal, word for word) and Kate Nardone, host of Rock of Ages show on AscendFM. Subscribe to discover your next favorite artist and the stories behind their music. CHAPTERS 0:00 Who is Magdalene Rose? 2:16 Maggie's testimony: do you want to heal? 12:15 The lie underneath it, and love she didn't have to earn 15:57 The master's in crisis counseling, and why she got it 18:37 Kate on vulnerability, shame, and being seen 22:31 Why sharing your testimony matters 22:41 How Maggie and Blaise met: a washer, a dryer, and a favor 27:52 Blaise on getting the drum chair in his dad's band 32:28 Maggie on starting at five and her first show at eleven 36:34 Lightning round 43:35 How to pray for them 45:15 Closing prayer Magdalene Rose: https://officialmagdalenerose.com Bill Branstetter: https://www.instagram.com/outofthedepthsmusic/ Kate Nardone: https://www.instagram.com/radiohostkatehartnardone/ #MagdaleneRose #ChristianMetalcore #ChristianRock #Beautycore #OutoftheDepths #TheForgiven

  3. Aug 6

    Homeless at 15 to Evangelist | POETRY ON FIRE

    Kaleb Webb and Evan Chapman have been best friends since they were five years old. Then one of them nearly didn't survive being a teenager, and the other one wouldn't stop showing up. Kaleb was homeless at 15, stealing food to feed his sisters, watching his own pastor grandfather survive a suicide attempt after his grandmother's death. Evan just kept inviting him — to church, to camp, to youth group — until Kaleb finally broke at the altar of a small church in Sikeston, Missouri, and heard the Holy Spirit say, "If you give me your life, I will give you a new one." Now the two of them front Poetry on Fire, a Christian metalcore band out of southeast Missouri pulling 60,000 monthly Spotify listeners with one mission: to see the captive set free. We get into the full ride: garage recordings through a sock-wrapped USB mic, opening for For Today and Sent By Ravens, walking away from music completely before coming back to build this project on surrender instead of performance. We also get into something we haven't touched on the show before: AI. Kaleb doesn't dodge it. He tells us exactly where it fits in his process and where it doesn't, and why he's taken heat from other Christians for being honest about it. The Forgiven is a community of Christian rock and metal artists. We are looking for emerging artists and bringing our favorites on the show to hear about their walk with God, how they came to know Jesus, and what church looks like for them today. Hosted by Bill Branstetter (Out of the Depths - a project making word-for-word metal versions of every Psalm) and Kate Nardone, host of the Rock of Ages show on AscendFM. Subscribe to hear where these artists go next. CHAPTERS 0:00 Who is Poetry on Fire? 2:07 Kaleb's testimony: homeless at 15 to the altar 9:54 Evan's story and a friendship since age 5 15:45 Sharing the stage with For Today and Sent By Ravens 21:14 From garage bands to Poetry on Fire 30:08 Who's discipling the artists? 36:54 Their home church and community 37:55 Advice to their 18-year-old selves 39:54 Their honest take on AI in Christian music 47:03 Lightning round 53:07 What's next for Poetry on Fire 55:05 Where to find and support them 55:44 How to pray for Poetry on Fire Follow Poetry on Fire: https://www.instagram.com/poetryonfiremusic/ Follow Kate: https://www.instagram.com/radiohostkatehartnardone/ Follow Out of the Depths: https://www.instagram.com/outofthedepthsmusic/ #PoetryOnFire #ChristianMetalcore #ChristianRock #Testimony #ChristianMusic #TheForgiven

  4. Aug 3

    From Occult to Christian Grungecore | TIFFANY TWISTED

    Hetti Harper of Tiffany Twisted trained as a medium at a spiritualist association in London. Then Jesus got hold of her. She spent all of lockdown meditating for hours a day and went a long way down the occult road before she realized she was stuck and couldn't get out. She tells us about the night she ended up on her bathroom floor at 3AM telling God he was either going to have to take her life or do something about it. He did something about it. We get into deliverance ministry and why so many churches won't go near it. She talks about the demonic block that kept her from receiving God's love, and what happened the day it finally came out. Her dad got saved and has just been baptized. And God asked her to delete her entire pre-Jesus catalog, which she did. Now she makes what she calls Grungecore for Christ. Sonic ramblings to God, about God, for God. Five singles out, an EP coming in the next couple of months, and Texas sitting at the top of her list for when she gets over here. Stay to the end — Kate prays for Hetti. THE FORGIVEN is a community of Christian rock and metal artists. Kate and I are looking for emerging artists and bringing our favorites on the show to hear about their walk with God, how they came to know Jesus, and what church looks like for them today. Hosted by Bill Branstetter (Out of the Depths - a project making word-for-word metal versions of every Psalm) and Kate Nardone, host of the Rock of Ages show on AscendFM. Subscribe to hear where these artists go next. CHAPTERS 0:00 Who is Tiffany Twisted? 2:29 From spiritualist medium to Christ 6:35 Can Christians have demons? 9:31 Why deliverance ministry matters 13:03 Discernment, struggle, and seeking freedom 18:41 Learning to receive God's love 22:32 Her father's journey to faith 25:16 Daily walk with God, worship, and church community 28:06 What she would tell her younger self 31:30 How Tiffany Twisted began 35:18 Deleting her former catalog 38:42 Creating and producing music as a solo artist 39:54 Fan questions 44:54 Lightning round 48:10 What's next 49:57 How to pray for Hetti Follow Tiffany Twisted: https://www.instagram.com/tif_twisted/ Tiffany Twisted on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4ixCNwzSi222BZzUucqAFq Follow Kate: https://www.instagram.com/radiohostkatehartnardone/ Follow Out of the Depths: https://www.instagram.com/outofthedepthsmusic/ #TiffanyTwisted #ChristianRock #Grungecore #Deliverance #Testimony #ChristianMusic #TheForgiven

  5. Aug 3

    Violin Metalcore Shouldn't Work | DRIVE THRU SOCIETY

    Drive Thru Society got their name from a question: is church becoming a place you pull up to, grab a feel-good sermon, and drive away from? Meg was driving home past a drive-thru pharmacy, a drive-thru car wash, a drive-thru beer barn, and started wondering what happens to a faith built for convenience. "The Bible literally says don't give up meeting together." The band name has been the argument ever since. They're a Christian violin metalcore band out of Denton, Texas, and their first full-length album, Thresholds, is exactly the kind of heavy we love. Kathy has been playing violin for 27 years and runs it clean through a metalcore mix, no distortion, all in the hands. Meg went into the studio choir-trained and came out screaming. Michael was agnostic until 2017, went forward at an altar call, and Kathy proposed to him the next day. Miles lost his dad, walked away, and went looking for God on his own terms rather than taking anyone's word for it. We also get into the honest stuff — ministry, marriage, money, and a conversation about miscarriage that neither Kate nor Meg flinched from. THE FORGIVEN is a community of Christian rock and metal artists. We are looking for emerging artists and bringing our favorites on the show to hear about their walk with God, how they came to know Jesus, and what church looks like for them today. Hosted by Bill Branstetter (Out of the Depths — a project setting every Psalm to metal, word for word) and Kate Nardone, host of Rock of Ages show on AscendFM. Subscribe to hear where these artists go next. So, is your church a drive-thru? Tell us in the comments. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open 1:07 Meet Drive Thru Society 2:15 Who grew up in church? 3:04 Michael: agnostic, and the signs he kept ignoring 4:15 She proposed the day after he got saved 5:54 Leaving the worship team to start a band 7:50 Is it violin metalcore worship? 9:49 Does your church know you play metal? 10:45 27 years on the violin 12:59 Miles: losing his dad, then finding God for himself 14:46 What God is doing in their lives right now 18:08 Advice to your 18-year-old self 19:51 Where the name Drive Thru Society came from 21:49 Who else is doing violin metalcore? 26:39 From praise voice to metal voice 29:31 Michael's favorite riff on Thresholds 30:27 Who fights more on tour? 31:31 Working with Travis and Corey 36:53 How Kate found the band 44:04 Miscarriage, and the song that gave it words 52:46 Fan questions 59:49 Superlatives 1:05:58 What's next 1:08:33 How to pray for the band Follow Drive Thru Society: https://www.drivethrusocietyband.com Follow Kate: https://www.instagram.com/radiohostkatehartnardone/ Follow Out of the Depths: https://www.instagram.com/outofthedepthsmusic/ #DriveThruSociety #ChristianMetal #Metalcore #ViolinMetal #ChristianMetalcore #TheForgiven

  6. Aug 3

    Trying to Disprove Christianity | OF MALICE

    Mark Randazzo set out to disprove Christianity. He was raised in it — Christian school, youth group, good parents — and in his early twenties he started asking whether any of it was actually his, or just what he'd been handed. He never stopped believing. He just refused to take anyone's word for it. His professors called him the Inquisitor. Ask him to describe his band's sound in one word and he says "pissed." Mark spent years in War of Ages and Letter to the Exiles, stepped away from full-time touring, and came back with Of Malice. We get into the book that brought him full circle, why he thinks the Bible's heroes were broken men rather than great ones, the two meanings behind the name Of Malice, the story behind "Spineless" and the friend it was written about, learning to scream as a frontman in his late 30s, and why he's grown wary of the term "Christian metal" after watching bands use it as a stepping stone and then walk away. Then Mark takes on the Lightning Round. Of Malice is Mark Randazzo, James Appleton, and Andy Amato, with roots in Letter to the Exiles and War of Ages. Their debut record is on the way. The Forgiven is a community of Christian rock and metal artists. We are looking for emerging artists and bringing our favorites on the show to hear about their walk with God, how they came to know Jesus, and what church looks like for them today. Hosted by Bill Branstetter (Out of the Depths — a project setting every Psalm to metal, word for word) and Kate Nardone, host of Rock of Ages show on AscendFM. Subscribe to hear where these artists go next. So, should Christians be angry? Tell us in the comments. CHAPTERS 0:00 "I've started to dislike the term Christian metal" 1:02 Meet Mark Randazzo of Of Malice 2:01 Where and when God met him 3:32 Trying to disprove Christianity, and The Case for Christ 7:01 The Inquisitor: questioning authority, challenging narratives 11:02 Learning to distrust the narrative 16:11 Home church, community, and heavy music 21:06 Staying close to God when church is hard 22:43 Why "Of Malice" — the name's two meanings 28:17 Inside the songwriting: building "Spineless" 32:29 Learning to scream: technique, lost voices, and coaching 38:37 The "Christian metal" label and why Mark is wary of it 46:21 Is the music Spirit-led? Faith and the creative process 47:34 The album's premise 49:20 The real story behind "Spineless" 51:16 The Lightning Round 53:44 What's next for Of Malice 57:44 How can people pray for Mark Follow Of Malice: https://www.instagram.com/ofmalice/ Follow Out of the Depths: https://www.instagram.com/outofthedepthsmusic/ Follow Kate Nardone: https://www.instagram.com/radiohostkatehartnardone/ #OfMalice #ChristianMetalcore #Metalcore #ChristianMetal #FaithAndMusic #TheForgiven

  7. Aug 3

    The Song Written in the NICU | METAL FOR EMMANUEL

    Dana quit music. She left her band, stopped listening to anything that wasn't of God, and walked away from the thing that had been the center of her life since she was a little girl. Then a church taught her that worship was healthy and good, and she came back and made metal. She and her husband Jason are Metal for Emmanuel, a husband-and-wife project out of Georgia. They met when he messaged her on Facebook to buy a ticket to her show, which we agree was probably about more than the ticket. Jason taught himself electric guitar, music theory, home recording, mixing, and mastering, and plays lead, rhythm, and bass on everything they release. Dana sings and does the graphic design. They have three kids under six, she is a stay-at-home mom, they homeschool, and she says the lesson planning is her favorite part. Their song "In This Storm" came out of the two weeks their youngest daughter spent in the NICU after an emergency C-section, with breathing problems they watched her fight off a little more each day. The first line Dana wrote was "crushing winds awaken, foundations are shaken." She also talks about dabbling in the occult as a teenager after she found metal, the nightmares that came with it, and calling her dad a few years ago to tell him she forgave him for not being there. The Forgiven is a community of Christian rock and metal artists. We are looking for emerging artists and bringing our favorites on the show to hear about their walk with God, how they came to know Jesus, and what church looks like for them today. Hosted by Bill Branstetter (Out of the Depths, a project setting every Psalm to metal, word for word) and Kate Nardone, host of Rock of Ages show on AscendFM. Subscribe to hear where these artists go next. So, does music hurt your faith? Tell us in the comments. CHAPTERS 0:00 "You've got to let that go" 0:25 Meet Dana of Metal for Emmanuel 0:48 He bought a ticket to get her number 1:28 How music took over her life 2:46 How they write a song together 3:39 Their sound: Iron Maiden, Dio, and a little black metal 4:42 What their kids think of it 5:24 The story behind "In This Storm" 7:27 The first line she wrote 8:26 Growing up in church without knowing God 10:15 The occult, the nightmares, and wanting out 11:08 Quitting the band and giving up music 11:52 What church looks like now 12:37 Who discipled them 13:20 What "born again" actually means 14:03 What she'd tell her 18-year-old self 14:25 Forgiving the father who wasn't there 15:40 Her daily time with God 16:52 Making videos with three kids underfoot 17:55 Lightning round 20:00 What's next for Metal for Emmanuel 21:17 How to pray for Dana and Jason Metal for Emmanuel: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570660627471 Out of the Depths: https://www.instagram.com/outofthedepthsmusic/ Kate Nardone: https://www.instagram.com/radiohostkatehartnardone/ #MetalForEmmanuel #ChristianMetal #ChristianRock #FaithAndMusic #TheForgiven

  8. Aug 2

    Chaotic Metalcore in Mom's Basement | PIPE BOMB

    Mitch records Pipe Bomb in his apartment, then drives to his mom's house and reamps the whole thing in her basement. That's where Hellhole came from. He also leads worship at his church on Sunday morning. The band is named after a line in a Unabomber documentary, and he is refreshingly unbothered about that: "I think a lot of people want the name to mean something. I would much rather it just sound cool." Mitch grew up in the church and never left it, which he knows is not most people's story. What got him was realizing in high school that he believed everything a Christian is supposed to believe and was treating it like a pastime. We get into that, losing his dad at eleven, why becoming a member of a church felt like a bigger deal than he expected, and the conviction that came with marriage: his wife knows the Bible better than he does and he decided he needed to catch up. We also get into the music. Pipe Bomb is a solo project with The Chariot, Norma Jean, and Nails in its DNA. He talks about humming riffs into his phone at midnight, why "Under God's Heel" is outperforming everything else and what that taught him about hope, how his wife is his barometer for when a lyric is too edgy, and the song he wrote about being caught between wanting to live and wanting to die. The Forgiven is a community of Christian rock and metal artists. We are looking for emerging artists and bringing our favorites on the show to hear about their walk with God, how they came to know Jesus, and what church looks like for them today. Hosted by Bill Branstetter (Out of the Depths, a project setting every Psalm to metal, word for word) and Kate Nardone, host of Rock of Ages show on AscendFM. Subscribe to hear where these artists go next. So, is believing enough? Tell us in the comments. CHAPTERS 0:00 "I want it to have some conviction" 0:29 Meet Mitch of Pipe Bomb 2:14 Growing up in the church 4:29 The moment it stopped being his parents' faith 7:51 Losing his dad at eleven, and the men who stepped in 9:45 Why church membership mattered more than he expected 10:26 "I need to catch up to my wife" 12:33 Leading worship on Sunday 13:02 Rereading the Bible from the start 17:27 Balancing heavy lyrics with hope 21:51 The Unabomber documentary and the name 22:51 When it stopped being just a creative outlet 24:06 A normal day 25:09 Humming riffs into his phone at midnight 28:05 Why some songs are almost impossible to play live 30:50 His wife is his edginess barometer 32:40 Fan questions: amps and dream rigs 35:42 Guitars 36:53 Four strings or five 38:51 What changed between the EP and the album 42:46 Writing "I Will Kill the Worst Parts of Myself" 43:01 Depression, and being caught between two paths 47:14 Working with a producer for the first time 49:39 Lightning round 51:37 What's next for Pipe Bomb 52:46 How to pray for Mitch Pipe Bomb: https://www.instagram.com/pipebombband/ Out of the Depths: https://www.instagram.com/outofthedepthsmusic/ Kate Nardone: https://www.instagram.com/radiohostkatehartnardone/ #PipeBomb #Metalcore #ChristianMetal #Hardcore #TheForgiven

  • 8 Episodes

About

The Forgiven is real talk with Christian rock and metal artists. Bill Branstetter (Out of the Depths) and Kate Nardone (Rock of Ages on AscendFM) find emerging bands they love and get them on camera. We ask what fans actually want to ask: how they met Jesus, what church looks like for them now, how the band started, and the real life stuff behind the songs. Then we have some fun with the Lightning Round, band Superlatives, and fan questions. Past guests include Pipe Bomb, Drive Thru Society, and Poetry On Fire. New episodes twice a month. This show is a ministry. We're here to support, invest in, and pray for the artists making heavy music for Jesus. New here? Pick an episode with a band you love and hit play.

Information

  • Creator
    Bill Branstetter
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Bill Branstetter