Warning is a British doom metal band founded in Harlow, Essex, 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 founded the band 40 Watt Sun, with whom he continues to release music.
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. The band reunited again in 2025, announcing a deal with Relapse Records, and plans to release their first album in twenty years.
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.
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.
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 Patrick Walker to secure control over the band's recorded material. Walker, publicly criticized the reissue, arguing that the band had not been consulted or compensated.
In response, Kreation Records issued a detailed statement explaining that they had licensed the album through Miskatonic FoundationâÂÂbelieved to hold the rights to the original LPâÂÂand had been assured the arrangement was legitimate. According to the label, it is typically the responsibility of the licensor to coordinate with the artist regarding financial and creative matters. Kreation further claimed they were unaware the band had not been involved until after production was complete, describing the situation as "at best disrespectful, and at worst deliberately conniving" on the part of the licensor. The label expressed regret over the controversy, stating their intention had been to make a long-unavailable release accessible to fans, and noted that they had offered additional compensation to Walker, which he declined.
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.
Warning officially disbanded in January 2009. Walker stated that the decision was made in order to pursue music that maintained "integrity and wholeness". 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.
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.
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.
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".