10 Years Ago, Panic! At the Disco Released the Album That Cemented Their Place in Modern Rock

On January 15, 2016, Panic! At The Disco released Death of a Bachelor at a pivotal moment in the band’s history — the day that marked the transition of Panic! into essentially a solo project, with frontman Brendon Urie as its sole official member. Coming a full decade after their debut studio album, Death of a Bachelor arrived as a moment of reinvention, reshaping the pop‑rock act into a bold, singular vision. The record was indeed a defining turning point, not only for Panic! as a brand but also for Urie as an artist, who wrote and recorded the album (alongside collaborators) and redefined the band's identity that fans had cherished since the early 2000s.

Panic! (or P!ATD), which debuted with the album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out in 2005, became one of the most influential and talked-about bands of the 2000s, thanks largely to their massive hit single, “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” whose music video won Video of the Year at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards and later earned recognition as one of the decade’s defining tracks. They soon followed it up with another success with their second album, Pretty. Odd. in 2008. Their third album, Vices & Virtues (2011), received mixed critical reviews, though it was still commercially successful. Then, in 2013, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! — the band’s fourth studio album — marked the final album of Panic! as a traditional rock band, as Urie proceeded to pursue solo projects under the Panic! At The Disco name, paving the way for the birth of Death of a Bachelor.

Brendon Urie Took Creative Control With 'Death of a Bachelor'

Although Urie collaborated with other writers for Death of a Bachelor, it is still essentially a solo album by him, marking the first time he wrote and recorded an entire Panic! album largely by himself after the departure of the band’s other members. As a result, Urie became the sole creative force behind Panic!, taking full control of the band’s sound and direction. Instead of disbanding the group, Urie created Death of a Bachelor to showcase his versatility, proving he could also write and conceptualize a cohesive body of work just as well, as a solo member, no less. Of course, Panic! was already a successful band since their debut, but flying solo was still a gamble. After the departure of the other members, the band could have easily disbanded and left its legacy intact.

"It was never a sudden decision that I would be solo — it really happened over time. [But] every time that we had a lineup change or anything like that, I was always in the same mindset: I never wanted to leave this group. I always had the same passion, I always wanted to continue. The name Panic! symbolizes everything that I’ve worked for. It’s given me fans and the chance to travel worldwide and care about something that I created," Urie told EW in 2016.

Panic! could have easily preserved its place in the 2000s pop-rock and pop-punk history, and that option seemed like the safest choice for a band whose members were slowly drifting apart. Urie, however, chose to take the risk. He didn’t rebrand himself simply as Brendon Urie or start anew under his own name. Instead, Brendon Urie became Panic! At The Disco. One could argue that Urie was too ambitious at the time, but that ambition was far from misplaced. And that gamble, luckily for him, paid off. Death of a Bachelor received generally positive feedback from music critics and was also a commercial success. In fact, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, making it Panic!’s first-ever album to reach number one on the chart. It also marked the band’s second Grammy nomination, earning a nod at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album; the first nomination came from Pretty. Odd.

Sonically, Death of a Bachelor was a full display of Urie as an artist: energetic, eclectic, and unapologetically theatrical. Standout tracks include “Victorious,” “Hallelujah,” “Emperor’s New Clothes,” “LA Devotee,” and the title track. “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” is, of course, the band’s signature song, but if there is one defining hit from the post–past-members era, that distinction would have to go to “High Hopes,” though it comes from a completely different album (2018's Pray for the Wicked). That doesn’t mean Death of a Bachelor was any less impactful. If anything, it set the stage for Panic!'s continued evolution.