After taking time off to deal with the burnout resulting from the

After taking time off to deal with the burnout resulting from the “Building Empires” tour and with other personal issues, the band released Promised Land in October 1994 (a companion CD-ROM , featuring a Promised Land -themed game and other interactive features, was released in March 1996). It was a dark and personal album, reflecting the mental state of the band at the time. Although the album debuted at No. 3 and was eventually certified platinum, it was not the commercial success Empire had been. As with many other heavy metal and hard rock acts, Queensrÿche’s commercial fortunes waned with the surge in popularity of genres such as alternative rock and grunge .