Birthed from the early 80s UK post-punk and industrial ecosphere and finding footing in the embryonic power electronics scene before incorporating rock instrumentation to further explore the landscape of what would come to be described as “bleak psychedelia”, Ramleh continue to challenge and reward even the most adventurous listener. “Hyper Vigilance”, a sprawling double album that is the band’s most ambitious offering in a career spanning more than 4 decades, retains the urgency and sense of danger established in Ramleh’s earliest DIY live actions while showcasing a willingness to annihilate sonic limitations, utilizing sounds and compositional approaches previously unheard in an already bold and complex discography.Striking moments present themselves all across the four sides of this staggering album. Provocative lyrically and musically, “Hyper Vigilance” erupts simultaneously with the vigor of an eager young band and the focused ingenuity that can only come from years of orchestrated creative evolution. Fans of any era of the project, whether the most punishing early exercises in electronic onslaught or the consciousness altering noise rock that followed, will find a new favorite chapter in the Ramleh story within “Hyper Vigilance”, an overwhelmingly beautiful and imposing record by a band at the height of its power.
