Kam Lee is no longer a stand-in. On Wednesday, November 11, British death metal veterans BENEDICTION announced that the MASSACRE frontman will take over as their sole, full-time vocalist.
The band framed the decision as the natural outcome of this autumn's run: Lee fronted BENEDICTION on their tour of Ireland, the Latin American dates and the band's return to Damnation Festival in Manchester. "Let's make this official," the group wrote, adding that work has already begun on the follow-up to Ravage of Empires and signing off with "OSDM forever!!!!"
Lee joined the touring lineup in May 2026, a week after Dave Ingram said he was stepping down. Ingram, who first sang with BENEDICTION from 1991 to 1998 and returned in 2019 for two more albums, cited worsening arthritis, explaining that "the increase in pain" made it impossible to continue. He promised a handful of farewell shows during 2026. We covered that changeover back in May.
In a lengthy Facebook post, Lee said he was "both grateful and honored" to take the job, but insisted he isn't replacing anyone. "In my eyes David is irreplaceable," he wrote, describing his role as "an extension" of what Ingram brought and "a continuation of true OSDM style." He admitted he had first seen the offer as a temporary "placeholder" gig and had no idea where it would lead. Now in his sixties, with more than four decades in death metal behind him, Lee called the appointment "a huge triumph," crediting fans outside the U.S. for recognizing his work, and thanked guitarist Darren "Daz" Brookes and bassist Dan "Rewy" Bate for the trust.
Lee's credentials go back to the very roots of the genre: he sang in MANTAS, the pre-DEATH outfit with Chuck Schuldiner and Rick Rozz, and in the earliest incarnation of DEATH before going on to front MASSACRE.
Formed in Birmingham in 1989, BENEDICTION released their ninth full-length, Ravage of Empires, via Nuclear Blast Records in April 2025. The next one will be their first with Lee behind the microphone.