Former metal band
Pyogenesis committed themselves even stronger to their newfound pop-punk career on 1997's
Unpop, a Nuclear Blast release targeted for American modern rock radio. Exactly how anyone thought that a German gothic metal band might be able to dish out listenable '90s SoCal punk is a bit of a mystery, but hey, rules were made to be broken. No matter how rebellious the creators of
Unpop were feeling during the making of this baffling disc, the results are awkward. The list of flawed sonic and songwriting components is too long to break down in detail, but special mention has to be given to the low-register vocals that come off wooden and completely out of place -- considering the pinched tone and snotty inflections that are essentially genre prerequisites. A few songs approach alternative mediocrity ("Lower All Your Standards" and "Love Nation Sugarhead," for example), but nothing on
Unpop reaches any reasonable alternative rock songwriting or performing standards. ~ Vincent Jeffries