GNOME ~ VESTIGES OF VERUMEX VISIDROME ... review

 

Despite having a well received debut already under their belts with their 2018 release "Father Of Time", we at Desert Psychlist think it would not be wrong to say that no one, including the band themselves, saw the outpouring of love heading Gnome's way with the landing of their second album "King". Helped by the release of two excellent and gloriously silly videos for the songs "Ambrosius" and "Wenceslas" the red pointed hat wearing trio were suddenly everyone's favourite band and "King" was soon finding its way into the record collections of everyone from the serious minded musos to the casual weekend rock dabblers. Now success of this kind will of course create its own problems, how in gods name are a band expected to follow up an album that everyone and his dog thinks is the best thing since sliced bread while still trying to evolve and while also trying to avoid falling into the trap of making a 2.0 version of your biggest success to date. Well you do what Gnome have done with their third album "Vestiges Of Verumex Visidome" (Polderrecords) and that is give your fans a little of what they want while still managing to take your music forward into territories previously unexplored and managing to do so with tongues still pressed firmly into cheeks.

Chugging palm muted riffage introduces first track "Old Soul" interrupted by a series of heavy rhythmic pulses before a deeply hooky guitar motif signals an explosion of caustic and raucous headbanging groove that then falls away to make room for a vaudevillian flavoured vocal backed by choppy guitar textures and staccato like rhythms. Many bands would think that would be enough for any listener to take in and leave it at that but not Gnome, they still have some lysergic psych and sludge like harshness to fit in and so they go about delivering that into the mix too. For their next song "The Ogre" Gnome play things fairly straight with a song that starts its journey buoyed by fuzzy Thin Lizzy-like guitar motifs wrapped around a vocal that bears an element of Viking metal like swing in its delivery but then around the mid-way mark the band take a left turn and treat us to a smorgasbord of groove that touches on everything from QOTSA like quirkiness to throbbing fractured doom while also muddying the waters by including some modular jazz flavoured parping saxophone in the songs final moments. Make sure you have your arse in the saddle and your feet in the stirrups for "The Gods Are Evil" as you are about to go on a gallop, not an Iron Maiden-ish type gallop that takes you quickly from one point to another point but one that takes its listener on a whole host of weird and wonderful diversions before finally reaching its destination. "Duke Of Disgrace" is everything we love about Gnome taken to another level, jerky guitar riffs, unexpected shifts in rhythm and slightly sneery and playful verses leading up to a catchy sing-along chorus, a joyous romp from start to finish.. A moment is allowed for listeners to catch their breaths with the quaint and delightful "Old Soul Reprise" then its full on riff fuelled fun and frolics through the fractured and furious "Golden Fool", the gloriously schizophrenic "Rotten Tongue", the stoner meets hard rock meets post-punk "Back To The Mud" to the delightfully spiralling "John Frume" a song that's not sure if it wants to be atmospheric prog metal or funky heavy rock so decides to be both. 

Gnome deliver, with "Vestiges Of Verumex Visidrome", tales of mythical creatures and medieval characters which in itself is not unusual, what is unusual however is the manner in which those tales are told and decorated. Gnome's tales are delivered with childish exuberance and (Monty) Python-esque humour but are musically complex, intricate and constantly shifting. These guys may look like escapees from a children's TV show, with their pointy red hats and silly dance moves, but their music is on a whole other level of brilliant!

Check 'em out ... 

© 2024 Frazer Jones