Russell Allen
Encyclopedia
Russell Allen is the singer of the American progressive metal
band Symphony X
.
He was introduced to the band Symphony X by former singer Rod Tyler. Allen has been the lead singer of Symphony X since 1995, releasing seven studio albums and one live album with the band.
His first solo album, Atomic Soul
, was released April 25, 2005. As well as singing he also plays the bass when performing songs from Atomic Soul live. He is referred to in various circles as "Sir Russell Allen", and he is credited as such on Arjen Lucassen's
Star One
albums, because of a joke that Arjen made knowing Allen's former "job" as a jouster.
In the summer of 2005 he went on tour with Symphony X on Dave Mustaine
's Gigantour
alongside such bands as Dream Theater
, Megadeth
, and Nevermore
. In the same year, he also made part of a duo melodic rock project with singer Jørn Lande
(Masterplan) called Allen/Lande, which already has three albums, all released by Frontiers Records
and performed & composed by Swedish guitarist Magnus Karlsson
(Primal Fear
, Starbreaker).
In addition to being on tour with Symphony X, he is also currently working on another project with guitarist Mike Orlando
and former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy
called Adrenaline Mob
, also featuring bassist Paul DiLeo and Stuck Mojo
/Fozzy
guitarist Rich Ward
, with an album to be released in 2012. The EP, Adrenaline Mob, was released in August 2011.
Multi-instrumentalist
Arjen Lucassen has said the following regarding Russell Allen:
Allen has worked with Lucassen on various occasions: originally he sang the song "Dawn of a Million Souls" on Ayreon
's 2000 album Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator
(which also featured a guitar solo by Michael Romeo
), and in 2002 he became one of the lead vocalists for Lucassen's project Star One
.
Allen possesses a near four-octave vocal range, being able to sing notes spanning from the G below low C (G1) to the F# above Tenor High C (F#5).
With Symphony X
With Star One
With Jørn Lande
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
band Symphony X
Symphony X
Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey.Founded in 1994 by guitarist Michael Romeo, their albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy and V: The New Mythology Suite have given the band considerable attention within the progressive metal community...
.
Biography
Before working with a rock band, he was a jouster at a Medieval Times Dinner Theater.Medieval Times
Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament is a family dinner theater featuring staged medieval-style games, sword-fighting, and jousting performed by a cast of 75 actors and 20 horses. Each location is housed in a replica 11th-century castle, with the exception of the Toronto location, which is housed...
He was introduced to the band Symphony X by former singer Rod Tyler. Allen has been the lead singer of Symphony X since 1995, releasing seven studio albums and one live album with the band.
His first solo album, Atomic Soul
Atomic Soul
Atomic Soul is Symphony X's lead singer Russell Allen's debut solo album. It was released on April 26, 2005. The album is different from Symphony X's harder, more progressive sound, and has been dubbed by many, including Allen himself, as "Hard Rock". The album was released in 2005 on the InsideOut...
, was released April 25, 2005. As well as singing he also plays the bass when performing songs from Atomic Soul live. He is referred to in various circles as "Sir Russell Allen", and he is credited as such on Arjen Lucassen's
Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Arjen Anthony "Oswold Jr." Lucassen is a progressive metal/rock composer, singer and musician from the Netherlands, best known for his long-running progressive opera project titled Ayreon....
Star One
Star One
Star One is a Dutch progressive metal supergroup/side-project of Arjen Anthony Lucassen of Ayreon fame. Unlike Ayreon, the band did not follow one storyline; instead, each song was a different story with a sci-fi concept, most of the tracks based on existing movies and series.-Origins and first...
albums, because of a joke that Arjen made knowing Allen's former "job" as a jouster.
In the summer of 2005 he went on tour with Symphony X on Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustaine
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
's Gigantour
Gigantour
Gigantour is the name of a sporadically organised traveling heavy metal music festival organized by Megadeth's Dave Mustaine. The tour was founded in 2005 with dates across North America, and the 2006 and 2007 line-ups also traveled to Australia...
alongside such bands as Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
, Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, and Nevermore
Nevermore
Nevermore is an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 1991, they are known to incorporate elements from styles such as thrash, power, progressive, and neo-classical metal into their songs, and also makes use of acoustic guitars and a wide range of vocal styles.-Early years...
. In the same year, he also made part of a duo melodic rock project with singer Jørn Lande
Jørn Lande
Jørn Lande is a Norwegian hard rock and heavy metal singer who has sold over 2 million records worldwide. He is probably best known for being the lead singer of the power metal band Masterplan.-Biography:...
(Masterplan) called Allen/Lande, which already has three albums, all released by Frontiers Records
Frontiers Records
Frontiers Records is an Italian record label, predominantly producing melodic rock. It was formed in 1996 by Serafino Perugino and is based in Naples, Italy.-History:...
and performed & composed by Swedish guitarist Magnus Karlsson
Magnus Karlsson (guitarist)
Magnus Karlsson is a Swedish heavy metal guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He is currently one of the guitarists of the band Primal Fear.-Biography:...
(Primal Fear
Primal Fear (band)
Primal Fear is a German power metal and speed metal band formed in 1997 by Ralf Scheepers and Mat Sinner . Sinner & Scheepers formed the band after Ralf was not hired as Rob Halford's replacement in Judas Priest...
, Starbreaker).
In addition to being on tour with Symphony X, he is also currently working on another project with guitarist Mike Orlando
Mike Orlando
Mike Orlando is an American guitarist. He was top the ten finalist for Guitar Player magazine’s Guitar Superstar of the Year in 2008 and has worked with musicians like Zakk Wylde and Bumblefoot. His first solo album, Sonic Stomp, was released in 2006 and the follow-up, Sonic Stomp II, was released...
and former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy
Mike Portnoy
Michael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...
called Adrenaline Mob
Adrenaline Mob
Adrenaline Mob is a heavy metal supergroup featuring Mike Portnoy , Russell Allen , Mike Orlando, Paul DiLeo , and Rich Ward . Adrenaline Mob was formed in early 2011 and performed their first live performance on June 24, 2011 at the Hiro Ballroom in New York City...
, also featuring bassist Paul DiLeo and Stuck Mojo
Stuck Mojo
Stuck Mojo is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1989 by guitarist Rich Ward, Stuck Mojo is considered to be one of the pioneers of rap metal. Touring alongside bands such as Machine Head and Slapshot. Stuck Mojo's most successful album, Rising, peaked at #48 on the...
/Fozzy
Fozzy
Fozzy is an American heavy metal/hard rock band, formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1999. Lead singer Chris Jericho , who is also a professional wrestler, resides in Florida, while the rest of the band lives in Georgia. The band is currently signed to Riot! Entertainment...
guitarist Rich Ward
Rich Ward
Richard Park "Rich" Ward is an American guitarist, also known by his stage name, "The Duke". Ward is best known as a founding member of Stuck Mojo, a popular and influential underground rap-metal band of the 1990s, but he is also known as lead guitarist of heavy metal band Fozzy.-Early life:Ward...
, with an album to be released in 2012. The EP, Adrenaline Mob, was released in August 2011.
Musical style
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
Arjen Lucassen has said the following regarding Russell Allen:
Allen has worked with Lucassen on various occasions: originally he sang the song "Dawn of a Million Souls" on Ayreon
Ayreon
Ayreon is a project by Dutch composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen.Ayreon's musical style derives mostly from heavy metal and progressive rock, but combines them with genres like folk, classical and electronica...
's 2000 album Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator
Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator
Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator is a progressive metal album released in 2000 by Dutch multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen, and is the fifth album of his Ayreon project....
(which also featured a guitar solo by Michael Romeo
Michael Romeo
Since 2005, Romeo has taken advantage of a new custom model, Caparison Dellinger II - Michael Romeo Custom, which he used to record the Symphony X album Paradise Lost...
), and in 2002 he became one of the lead vocalists for Lucassen's project Star One
Star One
Star One is a Dutch progressive metal supergroup/side-project of Arjen Anthony Lucassen of Ayreon fame. Unlike Ayreon, the band did not follow one storyline; instead, each song was a different story with a sci-fi concept, most of the tracks based on existing movies and series.-Origins and first...
.
Allen possesses a near four-octave vocal range, being able to sing notes spanning from the G below low C (G1) to the F# above Tenor High C (F#5).
With Symphony XSymphony XSymphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey.Founded in 1994 by guitarist Michael Romeo, their albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy and V: The New Mythology Suite have given the band considerable attention within the progressive metal community...
- The Damnation Game (1995)
- The Divine Wings of TragedyThe Divine Wings of TragedyThe Divine Wings of Tragedy is the third studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X, released in 1997.-Track listing:-Allusions:...
(1997) - Twilight in OlympusTwilight in OlympusTwilight in Olympus is the fourth studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X, which was released in 1998. It features eight tracks, two of which have become classics: "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Through the Looking Glass", the latter an epic based on Through the Looking-Glass, the sequel to...
(1998) - V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
- Live on the Edge of ForeverLive on the Edge of ForeverLive on the Edge of Forever is the first live album by progressive metal band Symphony X, which was recorded on their European tour in 2000 and 2001. The album starts like their previous studio effort V: The New Mythology Suite, but whereas "The Death of Balance" normally segues into "Lacrymosa,"...
(2001) - The OdysseyThe Odyssey (album)The Odyssey is the sixth studio album by progressive metal band Symphony X. It was the first to be recorded entirely at guitarist Michael Romeo's home studio. The fourth track, "Accolade II," is a sequel to "The Accolade" from The Divine Wings of Tragedy. The album is heavily influenced by the...
(2002) - Paradise Lost (2007)
- IconoclastIconoclast (Symphony X album)Iconoclast is the eighth album by American progressive metal band Symphony X.It was released on June 17, 2011, in Europe, June 21, 2011, in the United States and in June 28, 2011, in Canada.-Theme:...
(2011)
With Star OneStar OneStar One is a Dutch progressive metal supergroup/side-project of Arjen Anthony Lucassen of Ayreon fame. Unlike Ayreon, the band did not follow one storyline; instead, each song was a different story with a sci-fi concept, most of the tracks based on existing movies and series.-Origins and first...
- Space Metal (2002)
- Live On EarthLive On EarthLive on Earth is the first live CD and DVD by Dutch band Star One. It features not only songs from their debut album, Space Metal, but also songs from Ayreon, another musical project by Arjen Anthony Lucassen...
(2003, live album) - Victims of the Modern AgeVictims of the Modern AgeVictims of the Modern Age is the second studio album by Star One released on the recording label Inside Out on October 25, 2010 in the United States...
(2010)
With Jørn LandeJørn LandeJørn Lande is a Norwegian hard rock and heavy metal singer who has sold over 2 million records worldwide. He is probably best known for being the lead singer of the power metal band Masterplan.-Biography:...
(as Allen/LandeAllen-LandeAllen/Lande is a melodic rock/heavy metal band project formed in 2005 by guitarist Magnus Karlsson with two high acclaimed metal vocalists: Masterplan vocalist Jørn Lande and Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen...
)
- The Battle (2005)
- The RevengeThe Revenge (album)The Revenge is the second album by Allen/Lande, the collaboration between Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen and Masterplan vocalist Jørn Lande, with arrangement and songwriting by Starbreaker guitarist Magnus Karlsson...
(2007) - The ShowdownThe Showdown (album)The Showdown is the third collaboration album between Masterplan vocalist Jorn Lande and Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen once again featuring Starbreaker guitarist Magnus Karlsson handling production, arrangement and songwriting...
(2010)
With Adrenaline Mob
- Adrenaline Mob (EP) (2011)
- TBA (2012)
With Genius - A Rock Opera
- Episode 2: In Search of the Little Prince (2004) as The Dream League Commander
With ReVamp
- ReVampReVamp (album)ReVamp is the self-titled 2010 debut by Dutch symphonic metal act ReVamp. The album was released in Sweden and Finland on 26 May 2010, in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Spain on the 28 May 2010, and the rest of Europe on 31 May 2010; it is set to be released in...
- Guest vocals on Sweet Curse (2010)