MASSACRE

As of now MASSACRE is disbanded... however the "Re-Animated 2007 Tour" line up (KAM LEE-Vocals, Terry Butler-Bass, Sam Williams-Guitars, Steve Swanson-Guitars, and Curt Beeson-Drums) may play some festival shows as MASSACRE next year 2008 in both the US and over seas, keep checking back here for details!-----------
CHECK OUT - WARLORD CLOTHING FOR "NEW" MASSACRE SHIRT!
Kam Lee is an American singer. He is best known for his vocal contributions to an early incarnation of Death (called Mantas) in 1983 -84, and later joined Massacre in 1985, founded and formed by Bill Andrews (Death). He is said to be one of the creators of the vocal style called the death grunt or death growl, taking influence from the then Celtic Frost vocalist Thomas Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom G Warrior). Massacre recorded 2 demo tapes that were heavily distributed using the tape trading system but did not lead to a record deal. The band dissolved when members Rick Rozz, Bill Andrews and Terry Butler left to join a later inception of Chuck Schuldiner's Death; however, the subsequent citing of Massacre as influences by bands such as Napalm Death signified a great interest in the defunct act within the death metal community. This lead to a reformation and the recording of the album From Beyond on Earache Records, made up mainly of reworking of the songs featured on the original 1985 & 1986 demo tapes.
Lyrically, Lee drew heavily from the stories of American author H.P. Lovecraft, and the album's cover art featured a painting by artist Ed Repka representing creatures from Lovecraft's imagination. Upon its release, many critics described the band as simply apeing many of the later bands they had originally influenced, especially in comparing the vocal style of Lee to that of Napalm Death vocalist 'Barney' Mark Greenway. Lee also played drums in both Mantas and Death as well as vocals. In 2006 he started a band with Terry Butler (Death/Massacre/Six Feet Under>) called Denial Fiend. He has also been a member of many other short-lived bands.
The death grunt (also referred to as "harsh vocals", death growl, death vocals and [usually derogatorily or humorously] cookie monster vocals. ) is a growling vocalization style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal musical genre, but also used in a variety of other heavy metal subgenres. Stylistic similarities in vocals can be heard in grindcore and hardcore punk bands, among others. Melodic death metal, doom metal and gothic metal bands tend to use the technique with substantial modification.
The advent of the death grunt as it is used today coincided roughly with the gradual emergence of death metal, and it is thus difficult to pinpoint a specific individual as the inventor of the technique. Different vocalists likely developed the style over time. The band Death (and its precursor Mantas) with its two vocalists — initially Kam Lee and subsequently Chuck Schuldiner — have been cited as influential (although Schuldiner would eventually switch to a more high pitched screeching style). Possessed is considered by some to be one of the earliest bands to employ death growls, as are Necrophagia and Master. Around the same time, bands such as Hellhammer, with Tom G. Warrior on vocals, and seminal act Massacre also employed a variation of the death grunt. ............................................................ ...................................................
One thing you can count on, is just how confusing and messed up MASSACRE's line up history is. So what I intend to do here is to breifly explain some of that history.
MASSACRE started in late 1984 - almost a year before I ever got involved in the band, when members Bill Andrews (drums), Alen West (guitars), Mike Borders (bass) and a vocalist whom I forget his name, all started the band MASSACRE as a thrash metal cover band. Only doing cover songs of bands like ANTHRAX, EXODUS, and SLAYER.
In 1985, when I relocated from Altamonte Springs, FL to Brandon, FL to live with my Aunt and Uncle, I sought out musicians whom I felt had might have a clue as to what style of music I wanted to play. After all I just left DEATH only a few months before that, and Chuck Schuldiner had already relocated to CANADA to join SLAUGHTER, so it was my intention to try and form a new band with some of the same direction I was going in when I was in DEATH. I met with Bill Andrews and Mike Borders one day and was asked to sit in on rehersal as vocalist. We went thru a cover of 'Piranha' by the band EXODUS, and they liked the style, flare, and strength I brought to the song. It was right then and there that they ask if I would join the MASSACRE ranks. When I joined MASSACRE, the first thing I explained to the other members was I wanted the direction of the band to go more in the 'death -metal' style rather then remain as a simple thrash metal cover band. They all agreed to the change and direction, and only a short time after that we began to write new original material.
Immediately MASSACRE recorded our first demo - 'AGGRESSIVE TYRANT' or 'Demo 1' as it came to be known. Yet, shortly afterwards Alen West and Bill Andrews had a falling out, which left MASSACRE without a guitarist. So I went into high gear mode to find a replacement for Alen. Another shift in the MASSACRE line up came when Alen West was replaced with one time MANTAS/DEATH guitarist Rick Rozz, just several weeks after finishing MASSACRE's first demo. Work on new original material started at once after Rozz joined, and before too long, we returned to the studio to record MASSACRE's second demo.
Between the years of 1985 and 1987, MASSACRE played many, many live shows. Eventually co-headlining shows with bands like D.R.I. and NASTY SAVAGE. MASSACRE became so huge so fast locally, that we began to 'headline' shows all around the Tampa FL area, and bands like MORBID ANGEL, X-ECUTIONER (OBITUARY), HELLWITCH, RAVAGE (ATHEIST) and several others started out as opening acts for MASSACRE.
In 1987 another line up change came when Mike Borders was replaced with bassist Terry Butler, and a second guitarist Rob Goodwin was added. Because of our growing popularity not only locally, but through out the U.S. and the rest of the world we decided to try expand our performance territory. So MASSACRE then went on a 'self-financed' East Coat Tour of the U.S. A tour that went well for a band with only two demos, a few rehersal and live tapes released thru the underground tape trading circle, and no record out. On that tour MASSACRE played shows with bands like DEATHRASH, C.O.C., and WHIPLASH.
Yet, a huge let down in the end was when MASSACRE was refused a record contract by none other then ROAD RUNNER RECORDS. One main reason for the tour in the first place was to go to New York City to dicuss a possible record deal with them. So it was disheartening to get blatently refused by them and told that MASSACRE would never be anything but a pathetic no talented 'death metal' band.
Can you beleave it? This from the very same company that only a few years later ended up signing acts like OBITUARY and SEPULTURA. This was a huge blow to us, and a big upset amoung the members. So now we were all totally broke and completly let down, that's when I first began to feel the band falling apart. And it was only a short time after returning home that 3 members of MASSACRE, Rick Rozz, Terry Butler, and Bill Andrews had announced to me that they were leaving the band. Only later did I find out their real reason was so that they could join with Chuck Schuldiner in DEATH. Chuck had returned to live in Florida from California only a few short months after recording DEATH's debute "Scream Blody Gore" album, and now needed to find new members to continue DEATH. So it was in the winter of 1987 - that MASSACRE first broke up. In 1988 I relocated back to Orlando, FL. and for awhile started a new band called: ABHORRENT EXISTENCE, but it was only short lived.
Then in 1989, a short time after Rick was fired from DEATH (for the second time) after recording DEATH's "Leprosy" album, I got together with him and talked about reforming MASSACRE. At first Rick was a bit reluctant, saying he was not interested in playng "death metal" anymore. That was, until he found out the record company interest, and the popularity that MASSACRE still had world wide. That was when he then called me up and decided to re-form the band. At that time Rick was hanging out with a bassist named Butch Gonzalas. And suggested that Butch come over to join MASSACRE as bassist. Yet we still needed a drummer, and during that time Rick was friends with Joey Cangelosi of the thrash band WHIPLASH from N.Y. Rick somehow convinced Joey to relocate down to Florida from N.Y. to join with MASSACRE, and that is how MASSACRE would be borne once more for it's - SECOND COMING!
So during the later half of 1989 and the first half of 1990, the MASSACRE line up was Rick Rozz (guitars), Butch Gonzalas (bass), Joe Cangelosi (drums) and me; Kam Lee (vocals).
Now during this time period MASSACRE was already in contact with EARACHE RECORDS, and the record company heads wanted to hear the new MASSACRE.
Shortly afterwads, the record company decided that they did not like this direction, and suggested we get the original line up back together and record the original demo material. I thought this was wrong as Joey was living down here now after relocating from N.Y., I tried to keep Joey and we ask Terry to come back himself, but it was a package deal. It had to be both Terry and Billy. Seeing as that Terry and Bill were no longer in DEATH after the failed "Spiritial Healing" Tour over in Europe, it would be rather easy to get them back in the MASSACRE line up. It would be a few weeks inbetween before I would learn what was going on.... suddenly I was cut off from everything. No rehersals, no phone calls, nothing... it was like sitting down on Death Row waiting for that final walk on the mile. After a few weeks of hearing nothing Rick finally contacted me and told me MASSACRE split with Butch and Joey, and Terry and Bill were reunited with MASSACRE. Rick and myself along with Terry and Billy quickly entered into the studio to record the now historical cult album known as - "FROM BEYOND".
(NOTE: I Kam Lee, only recognize material recorded on the demos and material recorded during the "FROM BEYOND" session as the only 'real' MASSACRE.)
After a sucessful European tour in 1991 with the band MORGOTH and the band IMMOLATION, MASSACRE returned to the states to record a new E.P. That E.P. came to be known as the "INHUMAN CONDITION" release, and teamed up MASSACRE with CRONOS of the band VENOM on a cover of their song WARHEAD. MASSACRE then added a new second guitarist by the name of STEVE SWANSON, and once more headed out for tour. This time MASSACRE toured the U.S. with the swedish death metal band GRAVE and the death-thrash act from Texas DEVISTATION.
Although the U.S. tour was MASSACRE first official U.S. tour, it didn't go very well. So it was decided to return to Europe where MASSACRE's fan base was much larger, and where MASSACRE was much more appreciated. Once more the band GRAVE was added to the tour along with the thrash band DEMOLITION HAMMER.
Although the tour went great... hostilities with in the band among members started to grow, along with making no money and going completley broke, I had had enough and on the final show in LONDON - I announced that I quit the band.
I returned home and for almost a year kept myself out of the music scene. Then in the winter of 1993... Rick Rozz contacted me and asked if I would come back into MASSACRE. He said he had an all new line up with an all new direction.
So in the begining of 1994 - work began on the (awful) 'PROMISE' album. The line up now in MASSACRE was: Rick Rozz (guitar) - Pete Sison (bass) - Syrus Peters (drums) and I came in as vocalist. Yet, while in the studio recording this crap material, I came to an epiphany - and releized how much this shit sucked, and decided to walk out during the post production of this crap album.
So there it is... MASSACRE' history summed up. It ended on a sad-sad note with the release of the worst album ever, and I walked away from it all with disdain and complete disgust.
NOW - 13 years after walking away from MASSACRE, I find myself swamped with MASSACRE fans and people still talking about the band. In Oct - Nov of 2007 I'll be touring Europe on the "MASSACRE RE-ANIMATED TOUR" with support from my "new" band DENIAL FIEND. Will there be a MASSACRE in the future? As of right now... NO PLANS are set for anything else for MASSACRE. My time and energy I want to put into my new band... setting in something new with DENIAL FIEND's style and direction.
MASSACRE FANS - be sure to check out Kam Lee and Terry Butler in their new band DENIAL FIEND!
www.myspace.com/denialfiendband
Check Out KAM LEEs other side projects:
www.myspace.com/revoltingdeath
www.myspace.com/bewaredeathmetal
www.myspace.com/skincrawler666