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 intensely 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 clearly not the commercial success "empire" had been. as one review noted, "after the very commercial, very catchy, and overall very good empire, queensryche took a rather abrupt left turn and put out promised land...promised land is definitely an acquired taste as there is quite a lot less metal here than on previous releases...[it] is quiet, subtle and brooding, filled with melancholy and even a hint of genuine darkness."