Pray For The Wicked

Panic! at the Disco - Pray For The Wicked
Critic Score
Based on 15 reviews
2018 Ratings: #751 / 890
User Score
2018 Rank: #779
Liked by 56 people
Sign In to rate and review

CRITIC REVIEWS

80
AllMusic

Admittedly, his embrace of slick pop aesthetics, Rat Pack swagger, and cheeky turns of phrase can be a bit much on first listen. But that being said, when it's backed with a strong hook and just a modicum of earnest emotion ... it's hard to deny.

80
NME

Urie is clearly still relishing the role of the sonic bachelor, and it shows. On ‘Pray…’, it sounds like he’s having a total blast.

80
The Independent

Pray For The Wicked it feels as if they’ve finally managed to channel that frenetic, slightly chaotic attitude into a studio album that is at once eclectic and coherent.

80
Dork

‘Pray for the Wicked’ takes the kid-in-a-sweet-shop feel of ‘Death of a Bachelor’ and ratchets it up to eleven.

80
Upset
‘Pray For The Wicked' is a record of belief. It's about making wildest dreams a reality and then living within them. There's sadness in the victory, but resilience to what comes next.
80
The Young Folks

Overall, Pray for the Wicked is another worthwhile contribution to the Panic! at the Disco discography, though maybe not the one that’s expected after Death of a Bachelor.

67
A.V. Club
Urie’s recent theatrical past adds even more drama to his musical output, as the new thirtysomething pontificates on the trappings of fame and the excesses of youth, laced with religious imagery and advice from his mom.
60
DIY

Granted, his sixth effort is as bonkers and creative as ever, but it could be that less really is more.

60
The Guardian

Urie undoubtedly knows how to put on an entertaining show, but this is a production that lacks the kind of intelligibility and depth necessary for real emotional engagement.

60
Kerrang!
It feels harsh to criticise a Panic! At The Disco record for being bold and exploring its brash nature to the fullest. ... But there's no getting around the fact this one feels like it could have done with a defter touch and some sonic restraint.
60
Q Magazine
It's breathless and occasionally shallow, but never less than entertaining.
60
Evening Standard

While it can be a little too breathless at times, Pray for the Wicked has plenty of strong moments.

50
PopMatters

Pray for the Wicked is undeniably a modern pop record, but the lights of Broadway linger in these 11 brief songs.

50
The 405

Between horns, strings, synths, guitars and all the rest this record is definitely an attack on the senses and shows Urie's knack for constructing a radio-friendly hit, but delve below the surface and it doesn't have much to offer.

40
Sputnikmusic

A lot of the key problems I have with Panic! At the Disco’s music resurfaces here, and with the shallow approach to the music, sloppy style clashes and irritatingly generic lyrics that talk about success, following your dreams and getting drunk, it damages the final product exponentially.

BuffaloStaple
29

My one half listen of this album from when it dropped still haunts me to this day.

itsyahboinoah
49

Hey mama, look I made a mediocre album.

Docky
30

You know I don't think I've seen an album where I went from hating it to thinking it was actually good to slowly realizing it was just as bad as I thought at first.

As a Panic! at the Disco album this is nothing short of atrocious, the writing is all bland and feels extremely underwritten for a band like this and even worse, absolutely personality devoid. The songs sound way too similar to each other which is the opposite of every other Panic! album and the instrumentals do nothing but ... read more

souleaterwill
40

When this album came out, I was in a Brendon BRAINWASH
I loved this album when it released, but yeah, in retrospect, this album is a huge step down in quality from his previous solo albums.

The first two tracks, I will admit, I still do enjoy a lot, but the rest of the album... not so much.

This is THE END OF ALL THINGS!

Fav Track: Say Amen (Saturday Night)
Least Fav Track: Old Fashioned

speedmaster
20

when you're album has one decent/mid song you know that your album is absolute dogshit

55

I think I like this album a lot more than most others do. I don't like this album particularly much.

Purchasing Pray For The Wicked from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?
Become a Donor
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Advertisement
Sign in to comment
6mo
9mo
1y
1y
1y


Added on: April 24, 2018