The last few years have been nothing short of a major nostalgia boom, with countless reunions, anniversary tours, and re-recordings spanning numerous genres and scenes. And as with any reunion or reboot, there’s always a little bit of anxiety underneath the hopefulness that it holds up to the previous standards we hold in our heads for these bands. Many miss, some come close, and few truly achieve the hype. Twenty years after their last album, Warning have come back with the same incredible funeral doom metal that they left us with 20 years ago, and Rituals of Shame truly lives up to the legacy of 2006’s Watching from a Distance. The textures and emotions conveyed through the 5 track, 45 minute album are nothing short of what they created in Watching from a Distance, but matured in a way that truly satisfies the gap they left for the last two decades.
Kicking off with the album’s longest song, the title track wastes nothing in its nearly 13 minute run time. The beautiful wash of the drums synchronize in the most beautiful ways with the guitars, and the mournful crooning of vocalist/guitarist Patrick Walker carries an emotional weight that casts such a serene sorrow over the song. ‘Landing Lights’ is one of the best tracks on the album despite being the shortest at 6 ½ minutes, and is one of the most emotional journeys in their discography. Closing the album with ‘Teacher’, they don’t let up on the emotional gas pedal and take the listener through another incredible track of introspection and heavy hearts, leaving nothing out from everything one could want in a new Warning album. This album is perfect for a dreary rainy day, and is worth every relisten as Watching from a Distance is to this day.
Rating: 82/100
Notable Tracks: Rituals of Shame, Landing Lights, Teacher
