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A more perfect title for Heavy Elements could not have been chosen in hundreds of years of solitary thought-searching. GHQ is the trio of Steve Gunn, Double Leopards' Marcia Bassett, and the omnipresent Pete Nolan and this is their best work yet. The band presents us with three tracks: two of massive drone and one of acoustic raga. First track "Lost in the Blinding Sheen of Moonlight Mirrored" is based upon a deep-earth vocal drone which sounds very Double Leopards. It's surrounded with (presumably) the guitar work of Mr. Nolan and a screeching, noisy violin. As the track gets further into its fifteen minutes, the vocal drone slowly becomes more and more manipulated; retaining just enough normality to still be a recognizable voice but becoming just weird enough to creep you the hell out. At the six minute mark, Mr. Nolan drops his guitar and picks up drumsticks and, oh, how wonderful it is. The band actually breaks into a primitive groove here! The drone begins to form huge, endless notes in accordance with the percussion and the violin screeches maniacally. The drums relax a bit as the track closes up and the drone and violin get more abrasive and high-pitched. Following track "Twelve Events" sounds a bit more like the GHQ of old. The underlying vocal drone is still present but this time we get acoustic trance and electric wail. It reminds me of Thuja's stunning Pine Cone Temples with each player being more structured than that album but the group being somehow less. The band tightens it up in the last few minutes: with some lyrical vocals over the top it could probably be considered a real 'song.' Finally we get "Cold Dark Matter." Again, deep vocal drones and the screeching electric guitar are present but here the guitar acts as a high counterpoint to the oceanic drone instead of spewing glass in all directions. Nolan presents his most inspired drumming on this track; being very tribal and focusing on what sounds like an un-snared snare. The guitar gradually becomes more violent and resumes chewing glass until the drums finally fall away and the album's closing minutes are drenched in all-encompassing drone with each player trying to sound as angry moonwhale as possible. My only gripe with Heavy Elements is its length: when a band is this on in their drone, thirty-seven minutes of space-out seems awfully short.

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