A church sign on the way to work read: the enemy cannot cross the bloodline. By the time Disciple 13 finished reading it, he had the whole band.

He was not in church at the time. August 2023, driving to work, and a sign he passes every day had just been changed. "As soon as I read that, that's when the Lord spoke to me and gave me the vision for this and to use the name." Skull masks, numbers instead of names, Ezekiel 37. He says it took two to three minutes, start to finish. Then he had to go home and explain it to his wife, who asked how that was going to work.

Bloodlined is a masked metal band out of North Carolina. Disciple 13 plays guitar and started it after a minister of music told him at fourteen to stop playing in the church band. Disciple 14 plays drums, came in to track one session as a hired hand, then called back and asked if there were more songs. Disciple 17 sings, and he is not in this one. The lore is Ezekiel 37, the valley of the dry bones. Their fans are the Army of the Awakened, the merch is dog tags, and they have four singles out, starting with a Mary Did You Know cover that first got them noticed.

ABOUT THE FORGIVEN

The Forgiven is a community and ministry for artists making heavy music for Jesus. We share their music, tell their stories, pray with them and support the work God has placed in their hands.

The show is hosted by Bill Branstetter, creator of Out of the Depths (a project setting every Psalm to metal, word for word), and Kate Nardone, host of Rock of Ages on AscendFM.

Explore every episode, meet the artists and shop The Forgiven:

https://theforgiven.co

Hear more emerging Christian rock and metal:

https://theforgiven.co/playlist

CHAPTERS

0:00 Show Opener

0:29 Who is Bloodlined?

1:46 Disciple 14: Stryper, and where music met God

4:04 Disciple 13: saved at seven, then kicked out of the church band

6:06 A tornado destroyed everything around the house, not the house

6:19 Driving to work in August 2023 when the whole band arrived

7:50 What church looks like for them today

14:27 Three members, and praying for the two who are missing

16:35 Mary Did You Know, and almost losing the band

18:09 The devil can make you busy

18:38 Where they want this to go, and the messages from Ukraine

20:46 Why the masks, and why no real names

23:29 Playing for thousands was easy. Church was terrifying.

23:52 Does your church know? Including the mom who does not get it

25:31 The Christian AI backlash

29:32 A pastor told an artist to stop screaming

41:14 Psalm 91 became Not Afraid, and why they changed the name

44:05 Where the name Bloodlined came from

47:18 Kate prays over both of them

FOLLOW

Bloodlined: https://www.instagram.com/bloodlinedofficial/

Bill Branstetter: https://www.instagram.com/outofthedepthsmusic/

Kate Nardone: https://www.instagram.com/radiohostkatehartnardone/

#Bloodlined #ChristianMetal #MaskedBand #Ezekiel37 #OutoftheDepths #TheForgiven