Russell Allen
Russell Allen | |
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![]() Allen performing in Novara, 2007 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Russell Allen |
Also known as | Sir Russell Allen (Star One) |
Born |
Long Beach, California, United States | July 19, 1971
Genres | Progressive metal, power metal, heavy metal, hard rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
Instruments | Vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards |
Years active | 1995–present |
Associated acts |
Symphony X Adrenaline Mob Allen-Lande Star One Level 10 Avantasia Ayreon Avalon Trans-Siberian Orchestra Joel Hoekstra's 13 |
Russell Allen (born July 19, 1971 in Long Beach, California) is a singer best known as the vocalist of American progressive metal band Symphony X.
He is also a member of supergroups Star One, Allen-Lande, Level 10, frontman of the band Adrenaline Mob and one of fourteen vocalists in the progressive symphonic metal band Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Biography
Before working with a rock band, he was a jouster at a Medieval Times Dinner Theater. 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 eight 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 (ex-Masterplan) called Allen/Lande, which already has four albums, all released by Frontiers Records.
In addition to being Symphony X vocalist, he is also currently working in another band with guitarist Mike Orlando called Adrenaline Mob. The EP, Adrenaline Mob, was released in August 2011. The first full-length album Omertà was released in March 2012 and a second album called Men of Honor was released in 2014.
In November 2013, Allen joined Trans-Siberian Orchestra for their 2013 Fall/Winter tour and performed with the group at the Wacken Open Air 2015. He is also featured in their 2015 studio album Letters From the Labyrinth.
In 2014, a new project was announced, featuring Russell Allen with bassist Mat Sinner and other members of the German band Primal Fear, called Level 10, with an album release slated for January 2015.[1] The release date and the name of the album were revealed in November 2013: it would be titled as "Chapter One", to be released on January 23, 2015 in Europe and on January 27, 2014 in North America via Frontiers Music srl.
In 2015, Russell Allen recorded vocals for a new project of Whitesnake and former Night Ranger guitarist Joel Hoekstra called Joel Hoekstra's 13, with an album called Dying To Live, released on October 16. Russell sings lead vocals on half of the songs in the album with background vocals and the other half of lead vocals recorded by Jeff Scott Soto.[2]
Musical style
Multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer Arjen Lucassen has said the following regarding Russell Allen:
Russell has a very powerful and versatile voice, and on top of that he is a great musician and performer. Russell was one of the few singers with whom I didn't need to be present during recording, but when on the phone he let me hear the parts he had sung, my eyes filled with tears. Russell thought I was joking, but I was truly moved! At the moment Russell is one of the best singers in the world. And he proved that during the Star One tour.[3]
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 has stated in an interview that "Ronnie James Dio is definitely at the top of my list of influences".[4]
Discography
![](../I/m/Russell_Allen%2C_2016a.jpg)
Solo
- Atomic Soul (2005)
With Symphony X
- The Damnation Game (1995)
- The Divine Wings of Tragedy (1997)
- Twilight in Olympus (1998)
- V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
- Live on the Edge of Forever (2001)
- The Odyssey (2002)
- Paradise Lost (2007)
- Iconoclast (2011)
- Underworld (2015)
With Star One
- Space Metal (2002)
- Live on Earth (2003)
- Victims of the Modern Age (2010)
With Allen/Lande
- The Battle (2005)
- The Revenge (2007)
- The Showdown (2010)
- The Great Divide (2014)
With Adrenaline Mob
- Adrenaline Mob (EP) (2011)
- Omertà (2012)
- Covertà (EP) (2013)
- Men of Honor (2014)
- Dearly Departed (EP) (2015)
With Level 10
- Chapter One (2015)
As a guest
With Ayreon
- Flight of the Migrator (2000) – Guest vocals on Dawn of a Million Souls
With Genius - A Rock Opera
- Episode 2: In Search of the Little Prince (2004) – as The Dream League Commander
With Avantasia
- The Wicked Symphony (2010)
- Angel of Babylon (2010)
With ReVamp
- ReVamp (2010) – Guest vocals on Sweet Curse
With DGM
- Momentum (2013) – Guest vocals on Reason
With Takayoshi Ohmura
- Devils in the Dark – Guest vocals on "Delusional Dream" (2013)
With Timo Tolkki's Avalon
- The Land of New Hope (2013)
With Magnus Karlsson
- Free Fall (2013) – Guest vocals on Free Fall
With Amadeus Awad's EON
- The Book of Gates – (2014) – as The Pharaoh
With Noturnall
- Noturnall (2014) – Guest vocals on Nocturnal Human Side, producer
With Iced Earth
- Plagues of Babylon (2014) – Guest vocals on Highwayman
With Joel Hoekstra's 13
- Dying To Live (2015)
With Trans-Siberian Orchestra
- Letters From the Labyrinth (2015) - Guest vocals on Not Dead Yet
With Magni Animi Viri
- Heroes Temporis (World Edition) (2016)
References
- ↑ "Mat Sinner facebook page". facebook.com. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
- ↑ "WHITESNAKE/Ex-NIGHT RANGER Guitarist JOEL HOEKSTRA To Release JOEL HOEKSTRA'S 13 Debut 'Dying To Live'". Blabbermouth.
- ↑ Lucassen, Arjen. "Artist – Russell Allen". ArjenLucassen.com. Retrieved 2006-06-09.
- ↑ "ALLEN/LANDE: In-depth Interview With Russell Allen". Metalassault.com. January 29, 2011. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
External links
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