Warning - Watching from a Distance [2006]

Who should read this review? Doomsters out there who haven't yet heard of Warning, metal lovers with a great deal of patience, people who appreciate the strength of simple words put together in the smartest way. There, it's all clear from the beginning.

An extremely slow traditional doom metal band, Warning hail from the UK. With only two demos and two full-lengths released, they have still managed to establish a style which is not easy to forget, with several obvious trademarks.

One of them is the vocal style. Pat Walker uses 100% clean vocals, still he manages to sound absolutely tormented and melancholic at the same time. He employs the same rhythm in most of the lyrics; their low-pitched ending is consuming and annoying for who is not accustomed to the style.

The second trademark is represented by the low tempo itself. 5 tracks in almost 50 minutes is, of course, not a record in doom metal, yet there is a certain linearity which can become overwhelming. Perhaps 'overwhelming' is the best word to describe the album as a whole, as it most certainly seems to describe the cover and the feeling it conveys. For 'Watching from a Distance' is not an album to tickle the brain through brilliant musicianship, but through a more complex journey it invites you to take.

This comes from their third distinctive characteristic, that is the lyrics. Without sounding the least bit anachronic, Warning's lyrics express the simplest of human feelings and actions; they talk about giving up, making mistakes, fear, regret and vulnerability.

Of course, much more can be said about 'Watching from a Distance'; it's pretty much a singular work of art in the doom metal genre, one which stands out from the first audition or doesn't at all, depending on mood and patience. If it's allowed a few good listens, then it starts to unravel and individualize its tracks. On the whole, it remains a landmark in traditional, crushingly slow doom. Nothing to reproach here, so