Mankind Is Obsolete - Rise

Following the phenomenal EP release earlier this year, Mankind Is Obsolete returns with the full-length album. I was very surprised by the sound of this new cd; they dropped a lot of the stylistic ambiguity that I loved so much, and came up with a more traditional hard rock sound instead. The songs are still fantastic, but to be honest, I was a little sad not to hear something a little more innovative like the EP.

The album opens with “Still Right Here”, which is by far my favorite MKIO song to date. Pulsing beats and driving vocals get the point across – the song is bound to be a crowd-pleaser live. Overall, the album is much of the same. Singer Natasha has become much more aggressive and powerful in her delivery, which is a definite plus.

Further into the album, we get “She”, another personal favorite. This song does pick up more with the original themes of the EP, and I really dig the simplistic weave of futuristic sounds of this song. The album also takes the band in a new direction with slower ballads such as “More Than What I Am” and “Smile In The Dark” which shows a previously unseen side to the band that was refreshing.

All in all, it’s a good and rockable album with a few of their best tracks to date. I do hope, however, to hear more of the inspired sound of the EP in their future releases.

Suggested tracks:
“Still Right Here”
“She”
“Someone Like You”
“More Than What I Am”