No Warning - Torture Culture
Rating: 8/10
No Warning are one of those bands that I wish I had veen around for during their prime. While I can’t give a firsthand experience of its impact, Ill Blood remains arguably the most influential hardcore record of the 00’s; old live videos of them performing from that time period are truly something to behold. After that though, the band did what some would consider jumping the shark on their 2004 follow-up, Suffer, Survive. Rather than building on the NYHC style they had cultivated on their first record, the band decided to add Linkin Parkish hooks and a punkier sound that resembled something more like a Sum 41 than, say, Sick of it All. This sound resonated with some, but fell flat for many ears. After two 7” releases in 2013 and 2015, some shows here and there, and the headline slot on this year’s Life and Death tour, No Warning have returned with a full length that aims to right some of the wrongs of the their last LP, while also pushing the boundaries for what could be considered hardcore in 2017.
Torture Culture is a record that pulls absolutely zero shit. The band immediately brings things back to 2002 with the opening track, “Headless,” but it isn’t long until they start messing around with the formula a little bit, as the very same song has a grungy, cleanly sung vocal passage, and lead single “In the City” has an Anthrax-like stomp. “Hell Realm” is an 80’s metal banger, and “Sanctuary” sounds like something right off of Alice in Chains’s Dirt, with vocalist Ben Cook’s croons almost identical to Jerry Cantrell at times. No Warning aren’t the only band to include Alice in Chains vocal melodies into their music this year (i.e. Eighteen Visions), but they do it so well and so seamlessly that it doesn’t feel awkward or forced, which is a big plus when you take into consideration how badly that band has been ripped off since their prime.
If there is an issue that I have with the record, it’s that the record can fall into “blend” syndrome if you aren’t paying attention: on my first two-or-so listens, the three tracks between “In the City” and “Hell Realm” sounded like one long song. I chalk this up to the production - while it’s not terrible, the mix can add some confusion as to where one riff ends and the other begins. The record doesn’t throw us anything too new other than the Alice in Chains influence either, but I’m sure most fans of the band are just happy that Guv isn’t trying to sound like Chester Bennington anymore.
If I had to describe Torture Culture, it would be reminiscent of a record written in an alternate universe where Jerry Cantrell decided to move to New York during the 1980’s, starts going to shows at CBGB’s, joins Agnostic Front, and - for whatever reason - Roger and Stigma decide to let him sing on a few tracks.Alice in Chainsare never a band, AF never release Cause for Alarm or the 100 other influential records that they put out after Victim in Pain. Fortunately for all of us, No Warning stepped into this alternate timeline and brought back a record by that lineup, and we still get AIC and AF. Score.
-Cesar G.
Archival details
- Original URL
- https://metallifestyle.weebly.com/metal-lifestyle/review-no-warning-torture-culture
- Recovery source
- live-weebly
- Recovery date
- 2026-07-22
- Stewardship polish
- 2026-07-22
- Preservation status
- restored
- Missing assets
- None recorded
Preserved by Bloodsoaked Media · The Archives