Warning (British band)

Warning was a British doom metal band from Harlow, Essex. Founded in 1994 by vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Patrick Walker, the band released two albums and is regarded as highly influential on the doom metal sound.

Following the band's breakup in 2009, Walker continued to release music with a new band 40 Watt Sun, which is now a solo project.

Warning briefly reunited in 2017 to perform Watching from a Distance in its entirety at the Roadburn Festival, which was followed by a tour of the United States and Europe.

History
Warning was formed by Patrick Walker in 1994 with bassist John Sellings and drummer Stuart Springthorpe. The band released two demo tapes, Revelation Looms in February 1996 and Blessed by the Sabbath in March 1997, which led them to gain underground metal press attention and label interest.

Warning debuted in 1999 with The Strength to Dream on the Miskatonic Foundation label. With this album, Warning gained a cult status within doom metal circles, but they soon disbanded after their 2001 European tour with Jack Frost. They regrouped for an acclaimed performance at the Doom Shall Rise festival in Germany, 2005.

In April 2006, following a Scandinavian tour with Reverend Bizarre at the start of the year, the band flew to Rosenquarz Studio in Lübeck, Germany, where they recorded their second album, Watching from a Distance. Released the following winter to enormous acclaim, it has been heralded as one of the most influential doom metal albums of the past 25 years, and one of the milestone metal albums of the decade.

Both albums were initially released on vinyl by Metal Supremacy, each on gatefold double vinyl, as limited pressings, and later by Cyclone Empire, again as one-off pressings. After an unauthorised and low-quality vinyl release by Kreation Records surfaced in 2012, Patrick acquired the rights to the band's recordings, and since then the many subsequent vinyl repressings have been licensed to Svart Records, with whom Patrick continues to have a strong working relationship.

In January 2009, Walker disbanded Warning, stating, "in order to make music that retains some semblance of integrity and wholeness, I realize I need to move on." He continues to write and record music as 40 Watt Sun.

Warning reunited for a performance at the 2017 edition of Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands, where they played Watching from a Distance in its entirety, after which they toured the album on both sides of the Atlantic in a series of celebrated live concerts.

Legacy
In 2019, Kerrang! named 'Watching from a Distance' number 1 of their "13 Bleakest Rock And Metal Albums Ever", writing, "the depths of anguish conjured by Essex-based frontman Patrick Walker (now of 40 Watt Sun)... are still utterly, utterly unmatched." Metal Hammer magazine listed the album's title track as number 1 on its list of "The 10 most heartbreaking doom metal songs", and featured Warning in their "Top 50 Greatest Cult Bands" feature. Decibel Magazine included Watching from a Distance among its Top 20 Doom Metal Albums of All Time. Terrorizer Magazine featured the album in its Top Albums of the Decade (2000–2009).

In their 2017 book A History of Heavy Metal, author Andrew O'Neill described Warning as "the best doom band of the bunch", writing, "their 2006 release 'Watching from a Distance' contains possibly the most emotionally affecting song in all of heavy metal – the incomparable 'Bridges'."

Final members

 * Patrick Walker – vocals, guitar
 * Marcus Hatfield – bass
 * Andrew Prestidge – drums
 * Wayne Taylor – guitar

Former members

 * John Sellings – bass (1994–1997)
 * Wayne Taylor – bass (1997–1998)
 * Stuart Springthorpe – drums (1994–2008)
 * Christian Leitch – drums (2008–2009)

Studio albums

 * The Strength to Dream (1999)
 * Watching from a Distance (2006)

Live albums

 * Watching from a Distance – Live at Roadburn (2021)

Extended plays

 * Bridges (2010)

Demos

 * Revelation Looms (1996)
 * Blessed by the Sabbath (1997)

Compilations

 * The Demo Tapes (2011)
 * Casting Shadows (2017, complete discography)

Compilation appearances

 * At the Mountains of Madness CD, 1999 (The Miskatonic Foundation) – features "Cemetery Eyes"