There’s a certain type of band that seems to exist outside of time. You hear the first riff and it feels like something that might have been discovered on a battered tape in a dusty box somewhere between 1973 and yesterday. Bone Church sit squarely in that tradition.
Formed in 2016 but spiritually rooted in the moment when rock music was mutating into heavy metal, the band draw on the same well that fed the likes of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The result is a blues-drenched brew of proto-metal heaviness, doom atmosphere and psychedelic grit. You can call it doom, stoner or classic hard rock if you like, but really Bone Church worship at the altar of the riff and, more importantly, the song.
Their second album “Deliverance” leans even further into that lineage. Where some modern bands treat the 70s as a costume party, Bone Church sound like they’ve been living there the whole time. Big hooks, swaggering grooves and a sense that these songs would have sounded just as at home blasting from a car radio in 1977 as they do today.
The opening stretch makes that clear straight away. “Electric Execution” is one of those songs that almost sounds like a cover the moment it begins. Imagine Diamond Head if they’d spent a bit more time in the American South and you’re somewhere close. “Lucifer Rising” follows with a similar feel, steeped in occult imagery and thick, confident riffing that never feels rushed.
Things get darker on “The Sin of 1000 Heathens.” Here the Sabbath influence looms large, all slow menace and knowing cynicism. “They take a piss and tell you it’s rain, whilst you clap and admire,” snarls Jack Rune, the kind of line that lands because it feels uncomfortably true.
“Goin To Texas” shifts the mood slightly. The southern drawl is unmistakable, thick as molasses, while a Deep Purple-style organ adds a welcome flourish that keeps the song rooted firmly in classic hard rock territory.
Then there’s “Muchachos Muchachin,” quite possibly the best song title of the last year. It’s easy to picture the band as weathered troubadours baking in the sun at some forgotten ’70s festival, guitars slung low and the crowd swaying along. But the real mystery remains: what exactly do the Muchachos do? Perhaps that’s part of the charm.
“Bone Boys Ride Out” provides a sharp contrast to the earlier tracks, locking into a groove that fans of Clutch would absolutely devour. It stomps rather than sprints, confident in its own swagger.
And finally, the title track “Deliverance” slows the pace for a closing statement that feels expansive and reflective. There’s almost a Freebird-like atmosphere to it, a song that breathes, stretches out and lets the guitars speak just as loudly as the words.
Lyrically, Bone Church continue to explore their familiar terrain of apocalyptic visions, occult imagery and cosmic struggles between light and dark, but there’s also a sense of joy here—songs about life on the road and the simple thrill of turning the amps up and letting the music do the talking.
The band themselves—Jack Rune (vocals), Dan Sefcik (lead guitar), Pat Good (bass), Nick Firine (guitar) and Rob Sickinger (drums)—play like a unit that understands the old rules of rock ‘n’ roll: groove first, riffs second, and attitude everywhere.
If “Deliverance” proves anything, it’s that Bone Church aren’t just reviving an old sound—they’re keeping it alive.
