Warning returns with first new album in 20 years

WARNING return with Rituals of Shame, their first new album in 20 years, due June 19 via Relapse Records. The band’s 2006 album, Watching from a Distance, has become one of the most revered releases in doom metal, with Pitchfork noting it “stands among the high water marks of the genre,” and Stereogum declaring it the “greatest doom record of all time.”

“It’s my privilege to be able to present to you the first track released from Rituals of Shame,” Patrick Walker shares as “Stations” is now available. “Whether you’re among those who have been waiting for this for twenty years, or whether you’re new to my music, it is with great pleasure and some relief, that I can finally give you a taste of the album that will follow later in the year. I wrote and recorded the entire record throughout 2025. This is the year I shall have the honour of sharing it with you.”

Walker, who also leads 40 Watt Sun, began work on Rituals of Shame in January 2025, writing seven days a week over three months as he turned his full focus back to Warning. The album was recorded at The Arch Studio, a 140-year-old former church in Southport, U.K., with recording and mixing handled by Chris Fullard (Idles, Sunn O))), Ulver). 

The decision to make a new Warning album emerged from a transformative period in Walker’s life. Reluctant to explain his lyrics, he acknowledges only that the work reflects a deeply personal present moment, with the collection echoing the themes that have long defined his writing: longing, separation, and most of all, love. 

Rituals of Shame also reflects a range of Walker’s longstanding influences, from the expansive melodic structures of Marillion to the restraint and clarity of June Tabor. He also cites John Brenner of Revelation as a formative influence, particularly in shaping his approach to articulating emotion through heavy music.

The collection is available now for pre-order on various vinyl variants and other physical formats, as well as digital pre-saves.

Rituals of Shame tracklisting:

1. Rituals of Shame
2. Stations
3. Night Comes Down
4. Landing Lights
5. Teacher

Rituals of Shame album cover created by Tekla Vály

Warning tour dates:
April 16 to 19  Tilburg, NL  Roadburn Festival
July 10 to 12  Pleszew, PL  Red Smoke Festival
July 29 to August 1  Bergen, NO  Beyond The Gates
August 13 to 15  Francavilla Al Mare, IT  Frantic Festival
August 13 to 16  Carhaix-plouger, FR  Motocultor Festival
September 4    Helsinki, FI  KULT
September 12 to 13  Leon, MX  Candelabrum Metal Festival
November 7  Nuremberg, DE  Sonus Obscura Festival
November 13  Athens, GR  An Club

Warning hail from Essex, UK, emerging from the British doom scene in 1994. The band released two albums in their initial run, The Strength to Dream (1999) and Watching from a Distance (2006). The band reunited in 2017 for a limited number of live performances including an appearance at Roadburn Festival.

Warning is Patrick Walker (vocals/guitar), Wayne Taylor (guitar), Marcus Hatfield (bass), and Andrew Prestidge (drums).