Kaleb Webb and Evan Chapman have been best friends since they were five. Then Kaleb nearly didn’t survive being a teenager—and Evan refused to stop showing up.

At fifteen, Kaleb was homeless and stealing food to feed his sisters. Evan kept inviting him to church until Kaleb finally broke at an altar and heard the Holy Spirit say, “If you give Me your life, I will give you a new one.”

Now they front Poetry on Fire, a Christian metalcore band from southeast Missouri with one mission: to see the captive set free. We talk about their friendship, surrendering music to God and the unlikely road from garage recordings through a sock-wrapped USB microphone to approximately 60,000 monthly Spotify listeners at the time of recording.

Kaleb also gives us his unfiltered perspective on where AI belongs in Christian music, where it doesn’t and why other Christians have criticized him for using it.

WATCH AND DISCOVER

Watch the episode:
https://youtu.be/DKW_1Sbq-e8

Hear Poetry on Fire on The Forgiven Playlist:
https://theforgiven.co/playlist

Episodes, artists and merch:
https://theforgiven.co

The Forgiven is a community and ministry supporting artists who make heavy music for Jesus.

Hosted by Bill Branstetter of Out of the Depths and Kate Nardone of Rock of Ages on AscendFM.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Who is Poetry on Fire?
2:07 Kaleb’s testimony: homeless at fifteen to the altar
9:54 Evan’s story—and a friendship since age five
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 eighteen-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/

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

Bill Branstetter / Out of the Depths:
https://www.instagram.com/outofthedepthsmusic/

#PoetryOnFire #ChristianMetalcore #ChristianRock #Testimony #ChristianMusic #TheForgiven