First off I'd like to get the niceties out of the way, in other words, I'd like to introduce MINDLESS HOPE to you. They are a five-piece Progressive Metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. They weren't always a quintet, as they started out as an instrumental band. In that capacity the released one album, "Verbatim" in 2013. Three years after that and "Unlocking A New Realm Of Existence" saw the light of day. It was the start of MINDLESS HOPE as we know them today, as this time they had added lyrics to the mix, and felt the debut album deserved some as well. The result of that came to light in 2017, when the EP "Speechless" was released. It does contain six songs from "Verbatim" with those added vocals, but also some additional lead guitar parts by Rob Covello.

So, after another five to six year wait, we are treated with another MINDLESS HOPE album. it is called "Mental Truancy", which translates to abandoning your mental status. Well, you definitely need to do that if you wish to be able to comprehend what these guys are bringing to the (turn)table. It is Progressive Metal mixed with what people now call Modern Metal. And I actually love that kind of stuff, if it's done right. Just have a listen to the careers of bands like OPETH and MASTODON. Two bands that have used those ingredients in numerous ways. Or, if you like, the album by CONTROL DENIED called "The Fragile Art Of Existence". It is one of the best ever examples of how those interactions might work. The reason they do is that whatever they do makes sense. It might take you some extensive listening before you get it, but eventually it does, and you can only be in awe.

Well, to put it bluntly, that is exactly what is missing with MINDLESS HOPE. What they do is all good musically, the variations and extremities are done properly, but the timing is wrong. Plus it doesn't grab you the balls, as it should. It lacks emotion, and we all know that music is emotion. Therefore the music as a whole doesn't make sense. When you are touching on a sensitive subject, make sure what you play enhances that, not counteract. These guys know how to play, and maybe even write good music, but the arrangements just don't make sense. Not even after a full week of listening to the album at least once a day. This is a "Mental Truancy" I can adhere with. After a while my mind just switched off. Sorry, but this is more hopeless mind than MINDLESS HOPE.