The Warning (Queensrÿche album)

The Warning is the first studio album by American progressive metal band Queensrÿche, released on September 7, 1984, and reissued on May 6, 2003, with three bonus tracks.

The Warning
Studio album by Queensrÿche
Released	September 7, 1984 (1984-09-07)
Recorded	1983–84
Studio	Angel Recording Studios Audio International Studios Abbey Road Studios Mayfair Studios in London, UK
Genre	Progressive metal[1] heavy metal
Length	48:36
Label	EMI America
Producer	James Guthrie
Queensrÿche chronology
Queensrÿche (1983) The Warning (1984) Rage for Order (1986)
Singles from The Warning
"Warning" Released: September 1984[2] "Take Hold of the Flame" Released: December 1984[3]
Audio sample
"Take Hold of the Flame" file help

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	8/10[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]
Ultimate Classic Rock	Mixed[7]

Background

Queensrÿche wrote the material for The Warning during their tour in support of the Queensrÿche EP, inspired by world events and the 1949 George Orwell novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.[8] The album was recorded in various recording studios in London with Pink Floyd-producer James Guthrie.

In 2013, lead singer Geoff Tate explained the band's dissatisfaction with the album's mix: "The only time I ever experienced [a record label restricting creative freedom] was during the recording of Queensrÿche's first album, The Warning. We went $300,000 over budget and the label took the record out of our hands and gave it to someone else to mix. ... The guy that mixed the album had no clue what Queensrÿche was. He never listened to hard rock music and didn't take input from anyone in the band. He just mixed it according to how he thought it should sound. No-one in the band could listen to that record. We all hated it."[9][10]

The Warning shows the band in an early stage of development, playing straight heavy metal songs unlike later albums in which more experimentation was expressed. It was a moderate commercial success in the United States, although none of the singles charted domestically. However, "Take Hold of the Flame" was an international hit, particularly in Japan.[4]

In support of the release, Queensrÿche went on a worldwide tour from August 1984 through to July 1985.[8] During the American leg of their tour, they were the opening act for Kiss on their 1984–85 Animalize Tour and Iron Maiden on their 1984–85 World Slavery Tour, while in Europe they opened for Dio on their The Last in Line tour 1984.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Warning"	Geoff Tate, Michael Wilton	4:43
2.	"En Force"	Chris DeGarmo	5:13
3.	"Deliverance"	Wilton	3:17
4.	"No Sanctuary"	DeGarmo, Tate	6:02
5.	"N M 156"	DeGarmo, Tate, Wilton	4:35

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Take Hold of the Flame"	DeGarmo, Tate	4:54
7.	"Before the Storm"	Tate, Wilton	5:13
8.	"Child of Fire"	Tate, Wilton	4:33
9.	"Roads to Madness"	DeGarmo, Tate, Wilton	9:38
Total length:			48:36

2003 CD reissue bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"Prophecy"	DeGarmo	4:00
11.	"The Lady Wore Black" (live at The Astoria Theatre, London, UK on October 20, 1994)	DeGarmo, Tate	5:23
12.	"Take Hold of the Flame" (live at Madison and La Crosse, Wisconsin on May 10–12, 1991)	DeGarmo, Tate	5:06

The album's original track sequence and sound mix that the band had approved, was changed by mix engineer Val Garay under orders from EMI-America, against the wishes of the band.[11] This original intended sequence is identical to the final track listing but with the following exceptions: "N M 156" as the opening song, "Warning" as the second to last track, and "Deliverance" and "No Sanctuary" appearing in the opposite order. The band first learned of this in August 1984, while on tour in Japan.[12]

Original track listing (unreleased)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"N M 156"	DeGarmo, Tate, Wilton	4:35
2.	"En Force"	DeGarmo	5:13
3.	"No Sanctuary"	DeGarmo, Tate	6:02
4.	"Deliverance"	Wilton	3:17
5.	"Take Hold of the Flame"	DeGarmo, Tate	4:54
6.	"Before the Storm"	Tate, Wilton	4:27
7.	"Child of Fire"	Tate, Wilton	5:17
8.	"Warning"	Tate, Wilton	4:43
9.	"Roads to Madness"	DeGarmo, Tate, Wilton	9:38

Personnel

Queensrÿche

• Geoff Tate – lead vocals
• Chris DeGarmo – guitar (lead guitar on "Take Hold of the Flame"), background vocals
• Michael Wilton – guitar (lead guitar on "Warning"), background vocals
• Eddie Jackson – bass, background vocals
• Scott Rockenfield – drums

Additional musicians

• Michael Kamen – conducting, orchestral arrangement

Production

• James Guthrie – production
• Val Garay – mixing
• Neil Kernon – engineering, mixing ("The Prophecy"), production

Charts

Year	Chart	Position
1984	Swedish Albums Chart[13]	42
	Billboard 200 (US)[14]	61
	RPM Top 100 Albums (Canada)[15]	91
	UK Albums Chart[16]	100

Certifications

Country	Organization	Year	Sales
USA	RIAA	1991	Gold (+ 500,000)[17]

References

1. Begrand, Adrien (October 6, 2010). "Queensrÿche: Empire (20th Anniversary Edition)|PopMatters". Pop Matters. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
2. Warning (track listing). Queensrÿche. EMI. 1984. EYS 17465.CS1 maint: others (link)
3. Take Hold of the Flame (track listing). Queensrÿche. EMI. 1984. EA 183.CS1 maint: others (link)
4. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "The Warning - Queensrÿche". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
5. Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 274–275. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
6. Rolling Stone list
7. Rivadavia, Eduardo (September 7, 2015). "35 Years Ago: Queensryche Release Debut Record, 'The Warning'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
8. "Queensrÿche: The Flame Rises". AnybodyListening.net. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
9. Cecolini, Vinny (May 28, 2013). "Geoff Tate: Leaving The Past Behind And Looking To The Future". JAM Magazine. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
10. "GEOFF TATE On QUEENSRŸCHE's 'The Warning' Album: 'It Was A Real Disappointment To Everybody In The Band'". Blabbermouth.net. August 24, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
11. "The Warning". AnybodyListening.net. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
12. "The Flame Rises". AnybodyListening.net. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
13. "Queensrÿche - The Warning (album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
14. "The Warning Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
15. "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 41, No. 9, November 03 1984". Library and Archives Canada. November 3, 1984. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
16. "Queensryche Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
17. "RIAA Searchable Database: search for Queensryche". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 13, 2017.