Warning is a Britishdoom metal band originating from Harlow, Essex. Formed in 1994 by vocalist, guitarist, and principal songwriter Patrick Walker, the group released two studio albums and became widely regarded as one of the most emotionally resonant and influential acts within the doom metal genre.[1]
Following the band's dissolution in 2009, Walker continued his musical output under the name 40 Watt Sun, which has since evolved into a solo project marked by a more subdued and introspective style.
In 2017, Warning reunited to perform Watching from a Distance at the Roadburn Festival, later announcing in 2025 plans for a third studio album.[2]
History
Warning was formed in 1994 by Patrick Walker, alongside bassist John Sellings and drummer Stuart Springthorpe. The band recorded two demo releases, Revelation Looms (February 1996) and Blessed by the Sabbath (March 1997), which attracted attention within the underground metal press and led to early label interest.
Warning released their debut album, The Strength to Dream, in 1999 through Miskatonic Foundation. The album established the band within the doom metal underground, earning a cult following for its sparse arrangements and emotionally driven songwriting. Despite this reception, the band disbanded shortly after completing a European tour in 2001 with Jack Frost. They later reunited for a one-off performance at the Doom Shall Rise festival in Germany in 2005.[3]
In early 2006, following a Scandinavian tour with Reverend Bizarre, Warning entered Rosenquarz Studio in Lübeck, Germany, to record their second album, Watching from a Distance. The album was released later that year to widespread critical acclaim and has since been cited as a significant release within the doom metal genre, frequently appearing in retrospective lists of influential albums of the 2000s and of modern doom metal more broadly.[4][5]
Both The Strength to Dream and Watching from a Distance were initially issued on limited vinyl pressings by Metal Supremacy, followed by additional limited reissues through Cyclone Empire. In 2012, an unauthorized vinyl edition released by Kreation Records circulated, prompting Walker to secure control over the band's recorded material.[6] Subsequent licensed reissues were handled by Svart Records. In 2025, the band's back catalogue was acquired by Relapse Records, which released a twentieth anniversary edition of Watching from a Distance in January 2026, alongside a limited deluxe four-LP box set.[7]
Warning officially disbanded in January 2009. Walker stated that the decision was made in order to pursue music that maintained "integrity and wholeness."[8] He subsequently continued recording under the name 40 Watt Sun, initially as a band and later as a solo project, releasing four studio albums over the following years to critical acclaim within alternative and experimental rock circles.[9]
Warning reunited in 2017 to perform Watching from a Distance in its entirety at the Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands, followed by a series of live performances across Europe and North America. In 2025, the band signed with Relapse Records and announced plans to release their first studio album in over two decades.[2][10][11]
Legacy
In 2019, Kerrang! ranked Watching from a Distance at number one on its list of the "13 Bleakest Rock and Metal Albums Ever," noting the "depths of anguish" conveyed by Essex-based frontman Patrick Walker, later of 40 Watt Sun, as "still utterly unmatched."[12]Metal Hammer also recognized the album's impact, placing its title track at number one on its list of "The 10 Most Heartbreaking Doom Metal Songs,"[13] and later including Warning in its "Top 50 Greatest Cult Bands" feature.[14]
Decibel magazine included Watching from a Distance in its list of the top 20 doom metal albums of all time, while Terrorizer featured the album among its "Top Albums of the Decade" for 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," and wrote that their 2006 release Watching from a Distance contains "possibly the most emotionally affecting song in all of heavy metal," citing the track "Bridges."[15]
Line-up
Warning performing in 2017
Current members
Patrick Walker – vocals, guitar
Wayne Taylor – guitar
Marcus Hatfield – bass
Andrew Prestidge – drums
Former members
John Sellings – bass (1994–1997)
Stuart Springthorpe – drums (1994–2001, 2004–2008)
Christian Leitch – drums (2008–2009)
Discography
Studio albums
The Strength to Dream (1999)
Watching from a Distance (2006)
TBA (2026)
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"
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