BLINDED BY HOPE's second album "We Are" is a heavily conceptual and cohesive album, offering a distinctive and magnetic mixture of Heavy and Progressive Melodic Rock and Metal. "We Are" pushes the boundaries of traditional songwriting and offers an honest insight into the mind of their leading-man - guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer - Mitch Castell. The album contains thirteen tracks.

"The Fool" leads off the album. It opens with a slow and heavy riff, and some meter shifting. The chorus has some melody to it but the overall sound is pretty thin and could use some beefing up. "Messiah Liar" begins in much the same manner. Some lead guitar notes come in with doses of wah-wah, but again, the sound in the verse is quite thin. It finishes on some heavy accented rhythm guitars. "Incandescent" is another dark song with a heavy, slow opening riff. The melodies in the verses however are thoughtful and charming. The ending riff is just not very original or provocative.

"Demon" features a bit of a thicker sound from the rhythm guitars. The progression from verse to chorus is very similar through four tracks, as is the vocal style. "The Silence of Pain" opens with clean tones and an air of mystery. Melodies develop here and they are nice. Mitch isn't much of a vocalist. I hate to say it, but there it is. "Holy" is yet another slow song with much of the same rhythms used in previous songs. The ambient pause just before the half-way mark is charming but it will not save the song nor the album. "This Life" begins with some melodic but sad tones, and those heavy rhythms are dialed back a notch. This allows the song to breathe a little more. This is the best song on the album thus far.

"Unleash Me" features a fairly new sound of dreamy vocals and some dynamism in the riffs. A bit more of this could go a long way on the album. But those droning guitars still weight down the sound. "Don't Let Go" opens with some keyboards and clean guitars. It's the second song in a row without those droning heavy guitars. He is obviously going for a particular sound that he shoves down the listener's throat. "Humans" begins with another slow grind with soft and easy vocals over a bed of heavier guitars. But the song quickly gets lost in those slow, melancholy guitars again. "We Are" closes the album. This time, chunky bass notes lead the way in the opening sound. Vocal harmonies are also present in the beginning, and the sound is pleasant. He finally found the sound he is shooting for, but it took the entire album to come to fruition.

I am somewhat dumbfounded by the fact that this solo artist has a major record label deal. Through thirteen tracks, the numbing sound seeps in and takes hold. There is hardly any dynamic shifting...instead, each song is mired down with trite riffs of singular chords, and there is nothing inventive about the album. You can safely skip this album for sure; there are too many potholes that need attention.