In his latest album, “Viva Las Vengeance,” Brendon Urie — at the moment the only real member of the punk-pop band Panic! on the Disco — falls wanting the brilliance that typified his earlier releases. Regardless of a number of standout tracks, the album is underwhelming. Total, a lot of the shiny spots seem at factors the place he leans closely on the work of different musicians.
“Viva Las Vengeance” is a set of songs that don’t draw back from outdoors affect; virtually half the songs on the album invoke sounds discovered on different musical releases.
A kind of songs, “Center of a Breakup,” pulls its opening from “Hallelujah,” an outdated Panic! on the Disco track that’s nonetheless considered one of many band’s finest tracks. It has an immediately recognizable introduction that Urie revamps to start the brand new observe. Sadly, the opening is the place the track’s excellence begins and ends. The refrain is underwhelming — a trait many of those songs share — and the vocals really feel barely pitchy and compelled. For an artist who has made his dwelling off his highly effective, crystal-clear voice, it’s a call that leaves the listener questioning if “Center of a Breakup” was a manufacturing failure or just an indication that Urie’s expertise is beginning to wane with age.
The album’s title observe, “Viva Las Vengeance,” shares the identical qualities that make “Center of a Breakup” one thing of a letdown. The refrain is equally underwhelming on this album opener, and the track general is disappointing — particularly as a result of Urie and Panic! have confirmed that they’ll create considerably higher music.
Thankfully, the album turns round a bit after that rocky begin. The third track, “Don’t Let The Gentle Go Out,” is a departure from the basic Panic! type, but it surely nonetheless manages to carry its personal. It has only a contact of nation twang, making the track distinct with out overpowering the quintessential Urie that every one Panic! on the Disco songs have. It nonetheless isn’t tremendous noteworthy, but it surely was a transparent step in the fitting route for “Viva Las Vengeance” and permits the album to settle in a desperately wanted manner.
As with virtually each Panic! on the Disco album, there are standout tracks on “Viva Las Vengeance.” One is “God Killed Rock and Roll,” a track that pulls so clearly from Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” that it evokes a robust sense of nostalgia upon first pay attention. Urie isn’t afraid to lean into the identical sound that made “Bohemian Rhapsody” so instantly iconic, and the track is healthier for it. It effortlessly bounces between stirring piano and bouncy alt-pop with a contact of jazz, and Panic! manages to maintain it enjoyable and recent. On high of all these strengths, Urie nonetheless makes “God Killed Rock and Roll” classically Brandon Urie with the marginally off-kilter lyrics and that distinct vocal high quality that units him aside. In brief, “God Killed Rock and Roll” stands head and shoulders above the remainder of the album, and it deserves to finish up on an official Spotify playlist or two.
One other stable track on “Viva Las Vengeance” is “Unhappy Clown,” which comes on the album’s again half. It’s objectively a peculiar track — however so are numerous Panic! on the Disco songs, and “Unhappy Clown” elevates itself above a primarily lackluster bunch by being a little bit extra old-school Urie. The track offers him room to belt, and his vocals sound a lot more healthy than in among the earlier songs. There may be even an enthralling violin piece to shut the track, which contrasts considerably with the remainder of the observe however nonetheless ties every part collectively properly. On one other Panic! album, “Unhappy Clown” would in all probability sit in the midst of the pack, however as a result of “Viva Las Vengeance” is mediocre to start with, “Unhappy Clown” will get a while to shine.
“Say It Louder” advantages from the identical factor. Very like “Unhappy Clown,” it feels extra like a few of Panic! on the Disco’s older songs, which is never a foul high quality to have. In truth, the lyrics are noticeably repetitive, however in contrast to “Native God” — a track on the album that sits solidly within the “mediocre” tier — that repetition just isn’t so pronounced as it’s irritating. It has that kind of classic Urie really feel that immediately elevates any of his songs. The Panic! on the Disco albums following “Demise of a Bachelor” haven’t had the identical spark as their earlier productions, so any return to these typically left-behind qualities is an efficient factor.
Lastly, no overview of “Viva Las Vengeance” is full with out protecting “Do It To Demise,” the final track on the album. Its opening appears like Journey’s basic track “Separate Methods,” albeit with a twist that makes that comparability considerably difficult to establish. Like a lot of the different songs on the album, it’s nothing greater than stable. Most of its significance stems from the outro being the primary snippet of the album launched by Urie, thus making the track probably the most anticipated. Whereas “Do It To Demise” actually isn’t relatable, it does its job simply tremendous, and it actually helped construct anticipation for an album that doesn’t appear to have a ton of traction within the music sphere.
Total, “Viva Las Vengeance” is one in all Panic! on the Disco’s weaker albums. It lacks the attention-catching punk parts that catapulted the band to success at their inception, and it isn’t fairly mainstream sufficient to sit down alongside Urie’s most just lately produced music. It hovers in an odd kind of in-between. It isn’t a foul album, but it surely isn’t good. It isn’t a basic Panic! on the Disco manufacturing, but it surely nonetheless has very classically Panic! on the Disco parts. Because it stands, “Viva Las Vengeance” is an album that feels extra propped up by Urie’s legacy than a piece that may stand alone and thus falls wanting the excellence that was once a staple of Panic! on the Disco productions.
