ONLY HUMAN Premiere Inventive Debut Album “Planned Obsolescence”, Out Now

ONLY HUMAN are already on the brink of a major discovery with their debut album. On Planned Obsolescence, the Danish upstarts invent an existential form of prog metal that speaks to our not-too-distant dystopia.

“Combining the two recent prog micro-genres (post-Tool and post-Periphery/TesseracT) with a clear love of various electronic styles, Planned Obsolescence actually sounds like it was designed to last”, New Noise writes. “The riffs never overpower, the rhythms feel soothing and buoyant, and vocalist Patrick Grønbæch Christensen employs his impressive range in a way that compliments rather than contrasts with the music. In short, this is prog for those who also like brevity”.

“The verses are often airy and light, the vocals tender, and the choruses huge”, says Heavy Metal Philosophy. “While the commentary is scathing, it is not dread that I feel but hope”.

Planned Obsolescence was released yesterday, on March 27 on Season of Mist, and you can hear all eight inventive songs by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.

“The album is supposed to wake people up to all the ways technocracy is encroaching on society”, Only Human vocalist Patrick Grønbæch Christensen says. “Tech companies often design their products to have an expiration date, so that we’re forced to replace them with the newest model. Through our social media and the adoption of influencer culture, we now live in a reality where humans are products to be consumed and disposed of”.

Order the album here: https://orcd.co/onlyhumanplannedobsolescence

Concept albums are standard issue for metal, especially in the prog space. But when the five members of Only Human first put their heads together in 2023, they decided to build the very human fabric of the band around one increasingly prescient idea.

“We like a lot of bands that just play rock music, but we wanted ONLY HUMAN to be about something”, Christensen says. “We’re interested in creating a musical universe that portrays a future on the brink of collapse”.

Planned Obsolescence reckons with technology’s increasingly hostile takeover. “Techno Fascist” comes crashing down amidst a turbulent downstream of low-tuned chugs. The intrusion of beats, blips and synthetic swirls into the heavy mainframe of “Breach” mirrors not only how technology has seeped into our everyday lives but also the looming threat that it poses in rendering humans obsolete.

While Planned Obsolescence is full of existential dread, that doesn’t mean the album leaves us no hope. There’s nothing broken or even outdated about Only Human. The band’s fusion of heavy polyrhythmic grooves, anthemic hard rock and haunting electronic soundscapes hits like a deep breath of fresh air. “Defy and learn to walk again”, commands blood-pumping lead single “Automata”.

“When the world is going badly, the reason is because people gave up”, Christensen concludes. “Things aren’t hopeless. We can absolutely fight back. Hopefully, this album gets people to think about valuing humanity over profit”.

On Planned Obsolescence, Only Human invent existential prog metal for our dystopian future.

Tracklist
1. Drift (4:44)
2. The Sun and the Moon (3:54)
3. Steep Descent (5:56)
4. Death Cult (3:40)
5. Techno Fascist (6:01) [WATCH]
6. Automata (6:12) [WATCH]
7. Aspire (4:22)
8. Breach (5:41) [WATCH]

Full runtime: 40:32

Catch ONLY HUMAN live and in the flesh during their upcoming record release show, as well as at Sweden Rock Festival and Naestved Metalfest.

ONLY HUMAN Live in 2026
May 2 – Copenhagen, DK @ Rust (Record Release Show)
June 3-6 – Sölvesborg, SE @ Sweden Rock Festival
August 27-29 – Næstved, DK @ Næstved Metalfest
September 5 – Grindsted, DK @ Metalbox Festival
November 7 – Hjortshoj, DK @ Viruphuset (with Cold Night for Alligators)

Despite evolving with greater speed and scope than other corners of the metal archives, progressive metal never strays from the cutting edge. ONLY HUMAN are fresh on the scene, having signed with Season of Mist at the beginning of 2026 ahead of an appearance at this year’s Sweden Rock Festival. But the Danish band are already on the brink of a major discovery with their debut album. With Planned Obsolescence, they’ve invented an existential form of prog metal that warns of our not-too-distant dystopia.

“The album is supposed to wake people up to all the ways technocracy is encroaching on society”, says vocalist Patrick Grønbæch Christensen. “Tech companies often design their products to have an expiration date, so that we’re forced to replace them with the newest model. Through our social media and the adoption of influencer culture, we now live in a reality where humans are products to be consumed and disposed of”.

ONLY HUMAN were assembled through online and IRL connections. The band started in 2022 with Christensen on both guitar and vocals and drummer Andreas Pröll. The two were soon joined by bassist Guillaume Blanjean. As their music grew in scope and became more ambitious, they decided to recruit additional guitarists. Martin Hastrup and JaCK Kijne joined in 2024, just as Planned Obsolescence was starting to take shape.

All five members of ONLY HUMAN are brought together by a vast host of shared interests. The band’s name comes from a pivotal scene in The Matrix. Other late ‘90s totems — from drum ‘n’ bass to Linkin Park and Opeth — twisted together with the modern-day influence of TesseracT, Periphery and Bring Me The Horizon to inform their collective DNA. But from the very beginning, they were determined to deviate from the norm.

“We like a lot of bands that just play rock music, but we wanted ONLY HUMAN to be about something”, Christensen says. “We’re interested in creating a musical universe that portrays a future on the brink of collapse”.

Planned Obsolescence reckons with technology’s increasingly hostile takeover. One of the first songs that ONLY HUMAN wrote together, lead single “Automata” expands from a scrolling syncopated rhythms into mainframe-shaking grooves, as the surrounding world narrows in on itself. “We’ve offloaded critical thought”, says Christensen, who also took on all phases of the production process. “We’re not really doing things because we want to do them. It’s because an algorithm has decided that’s what we should do”. Brain rot might be the silent killer for today’s digital age, but the steady intrusion of beats, blips and synthetic patches into the album’s song wiring imitates how corporate greed and invasive technologies fight to control our day-to-day existence. Like a virus, “Techno Fascist” emerges unsuspectingly before it comes crashing down amidst a turbulent stream of low-tuned chugs.

ONLY HUMAN’s vision for the future verges on apocalyptic. “Breach” closes the album by looking past the point of no return. Amidst its crushing despair, even the song’s glowing keys appear like a comet bound for Earth. But while fueled by existential dread, Planned Obsolescence isn’t void of hope. After all, there’s nothing broken, outmoded or dated about this new band. Unlike the attempts of artificial intelligence, their fusion of prog, djent, hard rock and electronic soundscapes is the product of much care and hard work. They had to tinker with several different versions before “Steep Descent” finally reached its climactic bridge. “Cast your flame beyond this bleak reality”, Christensen beckons as dizzying melodies and a stellar guitar solo propel him and his bandmates into the next stratosphere.

“When the world is going badly, the reason is because people gave up”, Christensen concludes. “Things aren’t hopeless. We can absolutely fight back. Hopefully, this album gets people to think about valuing humanity over profit”.

Lineup
Patrick Grønbæch Christensen- Vocals
Martin Hastrup – Guitars
JaCK Kijne – Guitars
Andreas Pröll – Drums
Guillaume Blanjean – Bass

Recording, Mixing and Mastering Studio
Only Human Studio

Production Credits
Producer & Sound Engineer – Patrick Grønbæch Christensen
Mixing Engineer – Patrick Grønbæch Christensen
Mastering Engineer – Patrick Grønbæch Christensen (Digital and CD), Brett Caldas-Lima (Vinyl)

Cover Art
Guillaume Blanjean