This is without a doubt the find of the year for me. I was hunting down bands like early Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus when I discovered them. What I didn't expect was to find a band that beat the two of them out of the water hands down. I'm of course talking about the 'Watching From a Distance' release. Though it isn't traditional doom like the afformentioned bands, it does deliver a very similar feel and atmosphere: utterly emotionally draining. Musically it's far slower and doomier than typical traditional doom, quite often being akin to funeral doom but each and every stroke of the guitar is spot on and combine perfectly with the immense vocals performed by Pat Walker. It should also be noted the album has garnered 97% from 7 reviews on Metal Archives.

Rather than take my word for it here's Lucas Ruijs' superb review:
http://metalstorm.ee/pub/review.php?review_id=5786&page=&message_id=

Written by [user id=4365] on 16.08.2008 at 21:04

This is without a doubt the find of the year for me. I was hunting down bands like early Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus when I discovered them. What I didn't expect was to find a band that beat the two of them out of the water hands down. I'm of course talking about the 'Watching From a Distance' release. Though it isn't traditional doom like the afformentioned bands, it does deliver a very similar feel and atmosphere: utterly emotionally draining. Musically it's far slower and doomier than typical traditional doom, quite often being akin to funeral doom but each and every stroke of the guitar is spot on and combine perfectly with the immense vocals performed by Pat Walker. It should also be noted the album has garnered 97% from 7 reviews on Metal Archives.

Rather than take my word for it here's Lucas Ruijs' superb review:
http://metalstorm.ee/pub/review.php?review_id=5786&page=&message_id=

Warning were the find of last year for me. And imo delivered the best album of 2007 with Watching From A Distance. Although Watching is utterly emotionally draining I do still play it at least once a day.
And live Warning is an entity of its own as well as you can read here http://www.metalstorm.ee/pub/article.php?article_id=446 the concert both Lucas and I attended.

Brilliant band. I have no other words for it.

one of the best Doom metal bands now days. Only a bit to much on the heart for me, which is the reason why I don't listen to them that often.

Written by VPeter on 16.08.2008 at 23:41

one of the best Doom metal bands now days. Only a bit to much on the heart for me, which is the reason why I don't listen to them that often.

What do you mean by "too much on the heart?" I really don't understand at all.

I'm guessing he means too depressing. I don't really get like that with bands like this but some black metal can get me down after a while, not necessarily in a depressing way, more like a general negative attitude kinda way.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 17.08.2008 at 00:23

Written by VPeter on 16.08.2008 at 23:41

one of the best Doom metal bands now days. Only a bit to much on the heart for me, which is the reason why I don't listen to them that often.

What do you mean by "too much on the heart?" I really don't understand at all.

that it starts to make me really depressed.

Written by VPeter on 17.08.2008 at 00:37

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 17.08.2008 at 00:23

Written by VPeter on 16.08.2008 at 23:41

one of the best Doom metal bands now days. Only a bit to much on the heart for me, which is the reason why I don't listen to them that often.

What do you mean by "too much on the heart?" I really don't understand at all.

that it starts to make me really depressed.

Okay, I see what you mean. But to me depressing music such as this is really uplifting.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 17.08.2008 at 01:40

Written by VPeter on 17.08.2008 at 00:37

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 17.08.2008 at 00:23

Written by VPeter on 16.08.2008 at 23:41

one of the best Doom metal bands now days. Only a bit to much on the heart for me, which is the reason why I don't listen to them that often.

What do you mean by "too much on the heart?" I really don't understand at all.

that it starts to make me really depressed.

Okay, I see what you mean. But to me depressing music such as this is really uplifting.

Can be, but so far Warning is the only band who can really make me depressed if I listen to much to it.

yeah, the "i'm not the only one who feels this way" factor.

"Watching from a Distance" is an awesome album.

Moma, I just listened through a couple of tracks from their myspace. This band seems amazing. I'll defenitly try to get my hands on "watching from a distance"

"Watching From a Distance" is phenomenal. Some of the best vocals I've ever heard. It's definitely in my top for 2007. Has anyone here heard "The Strength to Dream"?

I've listened to "The Strength to Dream" a little but it didn't catch me anywhere as much as "WFAD."

Written by Stigmatized on 18.08.2008 at 13:11

"Watching From a Distance" is phenomenal. Some of the best vocals I've ever heard. It's definitely in my top for 2007. Has anyone here heard "The Strength to Dream"?

Yeah of course. Bought it along with Watching...

About The Strength: it's not nearly as good. Like Marcel will say when he sees this, I actually regret that I heard Watching... before The Strenght. Because while The Strength is a good album, it is completely overshadowed by Watching. If I would have heard The Strength, say, three months before Watching I would have liked it much better.

The difference lies mostly in the vocals - they are good, but not as spectacular as on Watching.

Written by Lucas on 21.08.2008 at 20:53

Written by Stigmatized on 18.08.2008 at 13:11

"Watching From a Distance" is phenomenal. Some of the best vocals I've ever heard. It's definitely in my top for 2007. Has anyone here heard "The Strength to Dream"?

Yeah of course. Bought it along with Watching...

About The Strength: it's not nearly as good. Like Marcel will say when he sees this, I actually regret that I heard Watching... before The Strenght. Because while The Strength is a good album, it is completely overshadowed by Watching. If I would have heard The Strength, say, three months before Watching I would have liked it much better.

The difference lies mostly in the vocals - they are good, but not as spectacular as on Watching.

Agreed 100%, especially about the vocals. They're so powerful on WFAD that I was left disappointed when I heard TSTD. It's the same vocalist right?

Written by Stigmatized on 22.08.2008 at 14:49

Written by Lucas on 21.08.2008 at 20:53

Written by Stigmatized on 18.08.2008 at 13:11

"Watching From a Distance" is phenomenal. Some of the best vocals I've ever heard. It's definitely in my top for 2007. Has anyone here heard "The Strength to Dream"?

Yeah of course. Bought it along with Watching...

About The Strength: it's not nearly as good. Like Marcel will say when he sees this, I actually regret that I heard Watching... before The Strenght. Because while The Strength is a good album, it is completely overshadowed by Watching. If I would have heard The Strength, say, three months before Watching I would have liked it much better.

The difference lies mostly in the vocals - they are good, but not as spectacular as on Watching.

Agreed 100%, especially about the vocals. They're so powerful on WFAD that I was left disappointed when I heard TSTD. It's the same vocalist right?

Yeah it is still Pat Walker, only about 8 years earlier.

I saw Warning live last November.
I didnt enjoy the show very much.. the vocals grated on me, they seemed very.. well, whiney if I'm honest.
But they certainly had the desired doom effect.. Their music made me feel very down and drained.

Written by [user id=34442] on 25.08.2008 at 01:37

I saw Warning live last November.
I didnt enjoy the show very much.. the vocals grated on me, they seemed very.. well, whiney if I'm honest.
But they certainly had the desired doom effect.. Their music made me feel very down and drained.

welcome to metalstorm! watch out what you just said tough for Marcel will surely give you a rant like "Warning whiney? but you like My Dying Bride and they are the kings of whining bla bla bla" on a more sirious note just give them more time the Vocals don't give it easy but they hold powerfull emotion.

Sounds like a band to look into!
I dont really get affected by depressing music, and lyrics never really are a big part of music for me. EXCEPT, when its a really catchy line that you cant resist singing... like alot of good Power Metal songs.
I just like alot of the haunting tunes that come out with Doom Metal. Creates great atmosphere!

Written by [user id=34442] on 25.08.2008 at 01:37

I saw Warning live last November.
I didnt enjoy the show very much.. the vocals grated on me, they seemed very.. well, whiney if I'm honest.
But they certainly had the desired doom effect.. Their music made me feel very down and drained.

the vocals take some acclimation. they grated me at first, but they are full of raw emotion and eventually they drew me in to the point now where i think they are the strength of the album.

Written by [user id=34442] on 25.08.2008 at 01:37

I saw Warning live last November.
I didnt enjoy the show very much.. the vocals grated on me, they seemed very.. well, whiney if I'm honest.
But they certainly had the desired doom effect.. Their music made me feel very down and drained.

Well, a lot of people have problems with the vocals at first so that is no surprise. Yes, the vocals are so emotional it is almost whiney, but then again a lot of doom bands have whiney vocals (Like Tir A Nog said... My Dying Briode being the prime example here)

But I can understand why you say "the desired doom effect... Their music made me feel down and drained."
cause for me (and most of the people I know) the desired doom effect is that the music cheers us up and gives us energy. Which for me certainly is the case with Warning.

Somehow I can't seem to warm up to this band as much as you people do. While I recognize Watching From A Distance as a very good album, I don't find it exceptional or even as emotional as you all apparently do. The vocals are good but just don't wake up any feeling in me, and the album sometimes even bores me. As far as modern traditional doom bands are concerned, I like Forsaken and Isole (for instance) much more

Written by Deadsoulman on 08.09.2008 at 00:35

Somehow I can't seem to warm up to this band as much as you people do. While I recognize Watching From A Distance as a very good album, I don't find it exceptional or even as emotional as you all apparently do. The vocals are good but just don't wake up any feeling in me, and the album sometimes even bores me. As far as modern traditional doom bands are concerned, I like Forsaken and Isole (for instance) much more

Hopefully you do realise that this heresy does mean you will be sleeping outside on the streets during Dutch Doom Days, don't you?

But seriously, how can you prefer Isole's triggered mechanical drums to Warning? Isole is alright though, but a lot of their music gets spoiled by the triggered mechanical drums for me.

Isole are ok, they don't seem to have a very strong sound, kinda wishy-washy. I wouldn't say their sound is overly comparable to Warning's. Still quite like 'em though. Just not as much as Warning =]

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 08.09.2008 at 13:45

Written by Deadsoulman on 08.09.2008 at 00:35

Somehow I can't seem to warm up to this band as much as you people do. While I recognize Watching From A Distance as a very good album, I don't find it exceptional or even as emotional as you all apparently do. The vocals are good but just don't wake up any feeling in me, and the album sometimes even bores me. As far as modern traditional doom bands are concerned, I like Forsaken and Isole (for instance) much more

Hopefully you do realise that this heresy does mean you will be sleeping outside on the streets during Dutch Doom Days, don't you?

But seriously, how can you prefer Isole's triggered mechanical drums to Warning? Isole is alright though, but a lot of their music gets spoiled by the triggered mechanical drums for me.

Haha I actually like their drums I don't know, that mechanical sound kinds of takes their music to another level for me. I don't usually like that kind of stuff, but there I think it just makes the music sound eerie. Plus I like Isole's vocals much more, they remind me a lot of While Heaven Wept.

Well, for me, Warning kind of exemplifies my relation with metal music, much of metal music that I listen to, at least. Thing is that although I really appreciate this band, can see the conviction and passion behind it and also enjoy it, I really can't take their music seriously. Instead of making me depressed or creating any kind of chatarsis in me, they sound funny instead. The emotionality of Warning is so overblown that it sounds funny, and there's nothing to do about it. I can imagine myself into the mood that this band is trying to express but I can't sincerely feel it. As I said, I feel this kind of attitude towards most of metal music, at least towards those bands who are intentionally very serious, melancholic and try to present human misery and anger in its purest form, so to say. In the case of depressive metal bands that are low-quality there's no problem - they simply sound ridiculous because they completely fail to express the emotions they intend to express (although sometimes this can be quite amusing). Warning succeeds and we have an excellent band here but still, since they try to be overly serious, it sounds funny to me. The sense of irony is missing.
(Good) music that has irony and playfulness in it seems to be inherently better to me than (good) music that doesn't have them. Of course playful music can be also really awful sometimes, but that's not my point. Maybe this kind of thinking is just due to my temperament, I am rarely depressed.

Despite the rambling above, I still enjoy WFAD very much. Haven't heard the first album, but looking at the comments, I don't think I will hear it soon, either.

Warning are no more =[

I guess we can take comfort in the fact that they've probably already made the album of their career.

Written by [user id=4365] on 09.01.2009 at 13:44

Warning are no more =[

I guess we can take comfort in the fact that they've probably already made the album of their career.

Where did you hear that? I know it says so on Metal-archives but that is the only place.

OKay unfortunately found an official statement by their label (run by Pat Walker's cousin) here: http://www.hellridemusic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19149

O fuck, sad news, it was good band, but legacy lives on
damn