Gnome – Vestiges Of Verumex Visidrome

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · December 29, 2024

Gnome are a stoner rock band from Antwerp, Belgium. The band formed in 2016 and have released three studio albums, 2018’s Father of Time, 2022’s King, and their latest Vestiges of Verumex Visidrome, which was released on September 13th 2024. The power trio consists of Rutger Verbist on vocals and lead guitar, Egon Loosveldt on drums, and Geoffrey Verhulst on bass. Vestiges of Verumex Visidrome contains nine tracks and is about forty two minutes long. The album came out on Polderrecords.

“Old Soul” begins the album with muted guitar picking with drum accents and then erupts into a heavy rocking rhythm. When the vocals come in, the band deliver a funky bass driven riff. Elements of heavy stoner and progressive rock are infused into their sound. “Old Soul” is a head bobbing and foot tapping kind of song that kicks things off nicely. “The Ogre” is next and starts with a drum beat dictating the tempo of the song. The eighth minute track incorporates a rock solid groove with the vocals reminding me of the band Wizzerd. The music has an enchanted flow and groove to it and the instruments are all mixed at almost equal levels, which is cool. The prominent warm bass tone is a nice welcomed addition to the Gnome sound and works elegantly with the guitars and drums. The band are definitely talented musicians and it’s cool that the vibe they are setting is all about having fun. Gnome does not take themselves too seriously but they deliver such colossal riffs in their execution. The third song entitled “The Gods Are Evil”, begins with a prog rocking groove and boasts a memorable singing flow which reminds me a lot of Slomosa. The dynamic riffs shine through the track with focus and conviction. It’s a great tune!

The next track is called “Duke Of Disgrace”. The song has a heavy infectious riff that begins and makes up the chorus parts also. The verses feature the bass and drums with some quirky singing. “Old Soul Reprise” is a quick twenty second bizarro that sounds like carnival music. It proves my point about the band not taking everything so seriously and having fun in the process. “Golden Fool” comes right after and has a metal and proggy feel to the riffing. It’s a solid song with heavy and precise drumming from Egon Loosveldt. At the 2:45 mark, Geoffrey Verhulst kicks into a cool bass groove in which the song shifts gears and Gnome dazzle between intricate riffing and heavy chunks of rhythm.

“Rotten Tongue” is a total banger! It begins with a brief organ and then crushes into a righteous and powerful, swampy stoner riff. The main riff is used as an anchor for the song, “he speaks in a rotten tongue!” in which Rutger Verbist’s low guttural voice proclaims right before the hammering riff commences. The verse is made up of cleaner vocals and softer and funky musical dynamics. The band exercises musical gymnastics on the middle part of the song and break into a swaggered groove before diving back into the main riff.

The next track, “Back To The Mud” is a chugging rocker mostly with a slick rock n’ roll grooving about it. The final track is called “John Frum”. The tune has a cool jammy feel to start with and some sung backing vocals too. The organ and seance intro is a nice touch too. The song has great guitar riffing and solid drumming and breaks into a heavy fuzz rhythm just before the guitar solo. The song begins and concludes with a female sung choir of the chorus line. Another brilliant touch for a well crafted song.

Overall, Vestiges of Verumex Visidrome is a great album! This is my introduction to Gnome and I can honestly say that I am very pleased with their sound. The band have fun wearing red triangle “gnome” hats and brown cloaks when they play live. However, the music drives with groove, power, and conviction, and the musical talents of these guys is very appealing with their crisp sound and stellar songwriting skills. Gnome derive great riff rock sounds that should appeal to everyone that likes good stoner rock music.