A shocking stylistic U-turn – 40%
lukretion, June 6th, 2022
Written based on this version: 1997, CD, Nuclear Blast
Of all the bands that in the mid-90s / early 00s “betrayed” the metal scene to seek inspiration in non-metal influences, German combo Pyogenesis are those who probably strayed the furthest, to a point where in their mid-career albums it’s hard to find even remote traces of the death/doom metal band they once were. Released in 1997 on Nuclear Blast, Unpop catches Pyogenesis well into their metamorphosis away from metal and into the realms of alternative / punk pop.
There is no way around it: Unpop is pretty awful, even when you approach it with the openest of minds, as I did. Most of its tracks dabble in a generic form pop-punk, with its three-chord structure, screamed vocals, and simple, cheesy melodies. This is a genre that I do not follow much nor like, but even my cursory knowledge of the likes of Ramones, Green Day and Blink-182 is enough to recognize that Pyogenesis’ take on the genre is second-rate, at best. The vocals are pitchy, the playing is simplistic and rough, and so is the album’s production. If one squints hard, one can perhaps find traces of the band’s metal past in the guitar sound, which is heavier than what one may find on a punk rock album. As per the genre’s standard, the songs are mercifully short, averaging slightly above the 3-minute mark. This is probably the best thing I can say about most of them: they put you out of your misery quickly. Unfortunately, at 15 songs and nearly 50 minutes, there is still a lot of material to go through here, which made the listening experience rather painful for me.
The most frustrating aspect of this record, though, is that it contains a handful of tracks that show that Pyogenesis are actually a talented bunch, when they manage to channel their inspiration and skills into a musical form that is a tad more interesting than the trite pop-punk that dominates Unpop. “Love Nation Sugarhead” is an example of this. It’s a bastardized mixture of techno and alt rock with an unusually melancholic vibe that may resonate with goth rockers. The cover version of German pop singer Purple Schultz’s “Sehnsucht” evokes a similar atmosphere and also features some heavy guitar work and gruff vocals that hint at Pyogenesis’ arguably last good album, Twinaleblood. “Blue Smiley’s Plan”, “Rhapsody in E” and “Silver Experience” are also good, mostly because they tone down the teenage angst to seek mellower, more refined forms of melodic expression. And they are damn catchy too!
In the end, however, Unpop is an album that is difficult to recommend to many people. Those who are into the band for their death/doom origins will most likely hate every single minute of this record. Even those who appreciated the experimental Twinaleblood will find little to like here. And I suspect that punk lovers will have better acts to turn to than Pyogenesis, too. This leaves Pyogenesis completionists and collectors as well as fans curious to see in what kind of deep rabbit hole the German band managed to fall down in the midst of their career.
rafazardly 