Over on Spotify, the cover art for one of Ravnlore\u2019s most recent album \u2014 titled \u201cTAKE THE OATH\u201d \u2014 pictures him shirtless as he does heavily-weighted bicep curls; a raven sits on one end of the bar, and the two are surrounded by flames. This is the ninth of 12 full-length albums that Ravnlore has published this year, according to his Spotify history.<\/p>\n
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Ravnlore frequently features another AI-generated artist named \u201cRavynna<\/a>.\u201d On a separate Facebook page, Ravynna is described as a \u201cvocalist for Ravnlore\u201d who\u2019s \u201cknown for powerful, emotional music.\u201d Songs by Ravnlore and Ravynna include titles like \u201cSHE WALKS THE BATTLEFIELD,\u201d \u201cTrain for Valhalla\u201d (it seems the vikings lost the caps lock for this one), \u201cBREAK THE WEAK,\u201d and \u201cBLOOD OATH RITUAL.\u201d<\/p>\n While digging through Ravnlore and Ravynna\u2019s profiles, we noticed that an email address associated with Ravnlore\u2019s Facebook page was also listed on that of another clearly AI-generated \u2014\u00a0though very different, as far as religious traditions go \u2014\u00a0artist: \u201cHammer to the Cross<\/a>,\u201d which is described in its Facebook bio as a \u201cSouthern Grit Gospel\u201d band that preaches \u201ctruth,\u201d \u201credemption,\u201d and \u201cno compromise.\u201d<\/p>\n Hammer to the Cross\u2019 lead singer is portrayed via AI-generated imagery of a lanky, unshaven man with long dark hair, whose shirt is often unbuttoned to reveal a thick cross necklace. This nameless persona often performs duets with a young, conservatively-dressed woman with long red hair; on the cover of one album, titled \u201cGlory to the Most High,\u201d the pair are pictured on the steps of a church. The group\u2019s songs include titles like \u201cMama\u2019s Prayers,\u201d \u201cThe Sound of Hooves in the Sky,\u201d \u201cGrandaddy\u2019s Bible,\u201d and \u2014\u00a0yes, this is a separate song\u00a0\u2014 \u201cYour Grandaddy\u2019s Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe got to bring God back home,\u201d a gruff AI-generated voice screeches in a gas leak Creed-esque song titled \u201cBring God Back Home,\u201d an AI-generated video for which<\/a> has racked up over 24,000 views on YouTube. \u201cBack to the table. Back to the school yard. Back to the family. Back to our hearts. We got to fall on our knees before we fall apart.\u201d<\/p>\n Hammer to the Cross is even more prolific than Ravnlore: the AI-generated Christian rock band has released over 30 full-length albums since 2025.<\/p>\n As everything about these AI-generated artists suggests: the music isn\u2019t good. The men\u2019s voices are grating, and every song has the vibe of either the worst wall hanging at Hobby Lobby or the last can of Monster Energy at the world\u2019s grungiest Sheetz.<\/p>\n But others may disagree: these AI-generated acts seem to scratch an itch for certain listeners, since they\u2019re garnering some real numbers.<\/p>\n According to Hammer to the Cross\u2019 Spotify page, the band\u2019s many albums have raked in 56,699 monthly listeners. Where the AI-generated Christian band really seems to be successful, however, is TikTok, where it boasts over 364,400 followers, and Facebook, where it has over 200,000 followers.<\/p>\n Ravnlore\u2019s Facebook page, meanwhile, lists over 437,000 followers, while its Spotify shows 163,687 monthly listeners. (Ravynna has almost hit 10,000 followers on Facebook, but her account is only a few weeks old.) And on YouTube, Ravnlore and Hammer to the Cross are both regularly raking in tens of thousands \u2014\u00a0and in some cases over 100,000 \u2014\u00a0views.<\/p>\n With the exception of TikTok, which has flagged the artists\u2019 content as AI-generated, these accounts don\u2019t disclose the role of AI in the creation of the music or the artists themselves. And in the comments section, it\u2019s clear that a lot of folks \u2014\u00a0older ones especially \u2014\u00a0think they\u2019re looking at real musicians.<\/p>\n \u201cLove this music,\u201d reads one comment on a Ravnlore video, adding that it \u201creaches the Viking soul inside me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you can sing a bad song,\u201d another commenter wrote on a Hammer to the Cross video. \u201cKeep on keeping it on brother! God bless you!\u201d<\/p>\n As we looked around Hammer to the Cross\u2019 various social media pages, we noticed that one name kept coming up: Jared Holm, who on Spotify is listed as the copyright owner of the Christian rock group\u2019s music and, over on Apple Music, is credited as the sole composer, lyricist, producer, and engineer behind its many songs.<\/p>\n This took us to a Facebook page for one \u201cReverend Dr. Jared Holm,\u201d who is self-described as the \u201cpresident\u201d of a company called \u201cIron Faith Records.\u201d <\/p>\n Iron Faith Records, according to yet another Facebook page, is a South Carolina-based \u201cindependent label delivering gospel rock, outlaw country, and cinematic sound with real message, real struggle, and real purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the repeated use of the word \u201creal\u201d to describe its music, however, the artists it promotes are anything but: its roster includes Ravnlore, Ravynna, and Hammer to the Cross, in addition to another Christian rock band called \u201cOutlaw Renegades\u201d and two more viking rappers dubbed \u201cApexwolf Beats\u201d and \u201cFrostwolflore Beats.\u201d Needless to say, all these artists are AI-generated.<\/p>\n A Facebook page for Apexwolf and Frostwolflore lists 1.6 million followers, while their respective Spotify profiles claim 158,686 and 19,426 monthly listeners. (Outlaw Renegades hasn\u2019t been quite as successful; its Spotify page only shows 10 monthly listeners.)<\/p>\n Collectively, Iron Faith\u2019s AI-generated artists appear to have racked up millions of follows, views, and listens across social media channels and music streamers.<\/p>\n Holm\u2019s current Facebook profile picture is AI-generated to depict him in an office. He\u2019s pictured sitting behind a thick wooden desk, surrounded by golden records and a plaque reading: \u201cFAITH. FAMILY. LEGACY.\u201d He looks decidedly similar to the lead singer of Hammer to the Cross: unshaven, dark hair left long and loose, and a dark shirt unbuttoned to reveal a cross hanging from a chain around his neck.<\/p>\n Though this profile image is AI-generated, Holm is a real human. According to his LinkedIn, he worked as an administrative assistant for an HOA management association in South Carolina until August 2025. Hammer to the Cross\u2019 Facebook page shows that it was created in October 2025; Ravnlore\u2019s page was created in March, and Ravynn\u2019s showed up in May. <\/p>\n Facebook posts further show that Holm is married to a woman named Samantha Davis, a digital creator who has a history of making fan edits of viking shield maiden cosplayers. Instagram and TikTok accounts linked to Davis direct to the Facebook page for Apexwolf Beats and Frostwolflore Beats. The Facebook page for Apexwolf, launched in 2023, is operated under the same username as a TikTok account associated with Davis, on which she\u2019s published \u201cshieldmaiden\u201d content dating back to 2023.<\/p>\n We reached out to Iron Faith Records with a list of questions about its content, whether Holm and Davis are the operators of these many AI-generated personas, and if it\u2019s ethical to fail to disclose that an alleged musician is, in fact, an unreal AI-generated persona. We also asked if Iron Faith could confirm that Holm is indeed an ordained reverend. (We found it pretty interesting that an ordained member of the Christian clergy would be cool with promoting music about Nordic gods that often explicitly praises Paganism.)<\/p>\n We went on to exchange a series of emails with Holm, who politely insisted that while the artists appear online as jacked AI-generated constructs, the artists are real people who are not operated by himself and his wife \u2014\u00a0and their music, he further claimed, is AI-free.<\/p>\n \u201cIron Faith Records is operated independently, and we manage multiple creative projects under the label umbrella. All content is human generated, wrote, and composed with AI only assisting social media content,\u201d said Holm, adding that the acts it represents are \u201cartistic brands and creative music projects developed through a combination of songwriting, creative direction, production, and modern music technologies, including AI-assisted tools only utilized for video production for short and long form content.\u201d<\/p>\n Holm likened Iron Faith Records\u2019 use of AI-generated entities to represent its roster of artists to that of other \u201cvirtual bands, animated performers, studio collectives, or fictionalized artist concepts that have long existed within entertainment,\u201d explaining that the label\u2019s \u201cprojects\u201d are designed as \u201cimmersive artistic experiences\u201d that allow its artists to \u201cfocus on there [sic] music and not worry about filming of social media content.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe recognize that conversations around AI in music are important and evolving. At Iron Faith Records, we view AI as a creative instrument\u2014similar to digital production software, visual effects, or vocal processing \u2014\u00a0not a replacement for human creativity. Every release involves human creative direction, songwriting, real human singing, editing, curation, and intentional artistic decision-making,\u201d Holm continued. \u201cWe understand that listeners may engage with music in different ways, and we welcome respectful dialogue about the future of AI-assisted artistry. Our goal has always been to create meaningful music with authentic emotional impact and purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n Regarding his title of reverend, Holm said that \u201cquestions regarding personal credentials or private matters are respectfully considered outside the scope of label operations\u2026 However I can insure [sic] that our president is Mr. Holm and he has a vast array of achievements including being a ordained minister.\u201d<\/p>\n To Holm\u2019s credit, it\u2019s true that pseudonymous acts are nothing new; neither are virtual artists and bands. Even so, his claims about the artists each being comprised of real people creating AI-free music felt pretty thin, since the music just sounds obviously AI-generated. And even if you set that aside, it\u2019s hard to believe real human musicians are actually behind the sheer amount of content that these different acts have been churning out.<\/p>\n We first reached out to Iron Faith with a list of questions on Friday afternoon; by Sunday morning, the artist had pumped out three brand-new full-length albums \u2014\u00a0\u201cCall of the Warhost,\u201d \u201cRagnarok Rising,\u201d \u201cEyes of the Valkyrie\u201d \u2014\u00a0bringing his total up to 12 full-length albums in 2026 alone. Hammer to the Cross has put out 35 full-length albums since 2025; Apexwolf has published a staggering 56 in the same span, including some records with more than 20 songs.<\/p>\n \u201cSo for the past week I generated songs and posted them,\u201d reads an older Apexwolf Facebook post, dated to November 2025. The post was published before the AI-generated Apexwolf persona emerged. \u201cShould I keep it going or go back to the old shanties and not much else?\u201d<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Outlaw Renegades and Frostwolflore have published a comparatively meager five and six full-length albums in 2026, respectively. Ravynna, who only recently launched her solo career, according to her Facebook page, has published one full-length album.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an extraordinary amount of music for any single artist, let alone one a group of artists represented by the same small independent label, to be cranking out. When we pressed Holm on how its allegedly human artists could be publishing such an inhuman amount of material, he doubled down, insisting that his label\u2019s workers are simply hard workers.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is correct all lyrics and music are created 100 percent human,\u201d he said. \u201cOur artists record almost constantly and we are determined to keep a fast paced distribution across all of all artists so the fans and public can have new music they can enjoy, after-all [sic] in the entertainment industry we are here for the fans and strive to bring quality and consistent content for everyones enjoyment. This is also why we do not lean or promote live performances, we almost entirely record in our own studios.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked whether he\u2019d be willing to share videos of his label\u2019s artists recording in-studio in order to corroborate their existence, Holm declined.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter a conversation with our team at this time, I will respectfully decline to provide any additional information, interviews, or video recordings. I also do not plan to participate further in discussions regarding studio footage or behind-the-scenes materials,\u201d Holm responded. \u201cI appreciate your understanding and wish you the best with your article.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779777978_10_1.png\")
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