Promise (Massacre album)

Promise is the second studio album by American death metal band Massacre, released on July 23, 1996, through Earache Records. Massacre vocalist Kam Lee rejoined the band in 1993 after leaving for a year during a tour in the United Kingdom when guitarist Rick Rozz approached him for a new album to record. Rozz wanted Lee to write a different type of lyrics and Rozz wrote the rest of the album. Lee wrote the lyrics and he recorded the vocals, but left Massacre during post-production due to dissatisfaction with the album. Lee said that the vocals are not his and he is wrongfully credited as the vocalist, and that an unknown person finished the vocals. After Lee left the band, Kenny Goodwin replaced him as the temporary vocalist and guitarist for Massacre.

Promise shows the band abandoning the death metal genre temporarily for a groove metal style resembling Pantera, and the lyrics are cathartic lyrics about relationship issues. Promise was widely disliked by fans, and Lee disowned the album. Lee quit music for a decade due to his dissatisfaction with Promise and his concern that death metal would begin to sound like the album. Promise was recorded in 1994, but took two more years to complete due to Lee leaving the band during post-production. Massacre performed a few shows with Goodwin to promote Promise after Lee left, but was booed by fans. Due to fan backlash and the Promise's lack of success, Massacre broke up quickly after releasing the album.