The Warning
The Warning is the debut studio album from Queensrÿche, the American band who would later become closely associated with progressive metal. It came out in 1984, and it was reissued on 6 May 2003 with three bonus tracks.
Here the band are at an early stage, playing straight-ahead heavy metal rather than the more adventurous material that followed on later records. The lyrics turn to mysticism and the occult. None of the singles charted in the United States, though the album did moderately well there, and "Take Hold of the Flame" found a wider audience abroad, particularly in Japan. It's a good place to hear where the band began before the experiments started, and in 2019 Metal Hammer placed it 13th on its list of the best power metal albums of all time.
The Warning: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 48:34Tracklist
- 1WarningGeoff Tate and Michael Wilton4:47
- 2En ForceChris DeGarmo5:17
- 3DeliveranceMichael Wilton3:21
- 4No SanctuaryChris DeGarmo and Geoff Tate6:05
- 5NM 156DeGarmo, Tate, Wilton4:39
- 6Take Hold of the FlameChris DeGarmo and Geoff Tate4:57
- 7Before the StormGeoff Tate and Michael Wilton5:14
- 8Child of FireGeoff Tate and Michael Wilton4:35
- 9Roads to MadnessDeGarmo, Tate, Wilton9:41
- Produced by
- James Guthrie
- Recorded at
- Angel Recording (London), Audio International (London), Abbey Road (London), Mayfair (London)
- Mixed by
- Val Garay
- Label
- EMI
- Length
- 48:34
Line-up
- Chris DeGarmo · electric guitar, background vocals
- Eddie Jackson · electric bass guitar, background vocals
- Scott Rockenfield · percussion, drums (drum set)
- Michael Wilton · electric guitar, background vocals
- Geoff Tate · lead vocals
Singles
- “Warning” · September 1984
- “Take Hold of the Flame” · December 1984
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1984 | 61 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1984 | 100 |
| Swedish Albums · 1984 | 42 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1984 | 91 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United States · 1991 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 7 September
Every year →
More from Queensrÿche
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The best of 1984
All of 1984 →
More on EMI
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date sources disagree on the year (1983, 1984)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 1983 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 7 September 1984 | |
| Wikidata | 7 September 1984 | |
| US release | 7 September 1984 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1984 | earliest UK or European date |
10 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | EMI | 077774655729 | other |
| 1984 | XE | EMI | 5099924022019 | other |
| 1984 | US | EMI America | 077774655729 | other |
| 1984 | CA | EMI America | other | |
| 7 September 1984 | US | EMI America | 077771713415 | other |
| 1987 | GB | EMI Manhattan | 0077774655729 | other |
| 1988 | US | EMI Manhattan | other | |
| 5 June 1988 | JP | EMI Manhattan | 4988006623774 | other |
| 24 April 2003 | XW | EMI | 724358052756 | remaster |
| 6 May 2003 | US | Capitol Records | 724358052725 | remaster |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 300×300 | upscaled |