No matter the day and age, progressive metal never strays from the cutting edge. Only Human are fresh on the scene having now signed with Season of Mist. But the Danish upstarts are already on the brink of a major discovery with their inventive debut album. “Planned Obsolescence” pushes progressive metal in a truly forward-thinking direction while warning of our not-too-distant dystopia.
“We wanted Only Human to be about something”, says vocalist Patrick Grønbæch Christensen, who also produced, mixed and mastered their debut album. “‘Planned Obsolescence’ is supposed to wake people up to all the ways technocracy is encroaching on society. We now live in a reality where humans are products to be consumed and disposed”.
Today, Only Human are announcing “Planned Obsolescence” with a suspenseful video for the album’s lead single. “Automata” transmits a chilling message for the future, but the band’s cutting-edge fusion hits like a deep breath of fresh air.
Watch the video for “Automata” below. The video was directed by muyingo.
“Planned Obsolescence” is out on March 27th, 2026, via Season of Mist.
Available Formats:
• CD Digipak
• 12″ Vinyl Jacket — Black
• 12″ Coloured Vinyl — Transparent Red w/ Black & White Splatters
• 12″ Coloured Vinyl — Transparent Red & Black Marbled
Pre-order & pre-save here.
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)
6. Automata (6:12)
7. Aspire (4:22)
8. Breach (5:41)
Concept albums are standard procedure for metal, especially when it comes to the prog space. But when the five members of Only Human came together via online and IRL connections, they wired the entire band’s framework around one encroaching idea. “Automata” surfs its synthetic grooves with clear command, as if by simply pressing a button. Though beneath its shining surface, the song processes the inherent danger in letting technology determine our individual thought patterns. During the music video, three thrill seekers follow guidance from their smartphone. Good times are had along the way, but tragically, they never stop to question whether it’s leading them to a dead end.
“We’ve offloaded critical thought”, Christensen explains. “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”.
“Planned Obsolescence” is fueled by existential dread. Like a virus, electronic beats hack into the hard drive of “Automata”, much in the same way that technology continues to creep into our everyday lives. But that doesn’t mean that the album leaves us without hope. There’s nothing broken, outmoded or dated about Only Human. When main-frame shaking riffs reduce the song to digital ash, their message rings out loud and clear. “Defy and learn to walk again”.
“When the world is going badly, the reason is because people gave up”, says Christensen. “Things aren’t hopeless. We can absolutely fight back. Hopefully, this album gets people to think about valuing humanity over profit”.
Catch Only Human live and in the flesh this year, starting next weekend in Denmark with Svartsot
European Live Shows 2026:
January 31 – Fredericia, DN @ Tøjhuset
February 14 – Aalborg, DN @ Studenterhuset
June 3-6 – Sölvesborg, SE @ Sweden Rock Festival
August 27-29 – Næstved, DN @ Næstved Metalfest
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”.
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”.
Line-up:
Patrick Grønbæch Christensen — Vocals
Martin Hastrup — Guitars
JaCK Kijne — Guitars
Andreas Pröll — Drums
Guillaume Blanjean — Bass
Recording, Mixing and Mastering Studio:
Only Human Studio, Denmark.
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
Weblinks:
onlyhuman.band
www.facebook.com/OnlyHumanDK
