Russell Allen

Last updated

Russell Allen
Symphony x 10.jpg
Allen performing in 2007
Background information
Born (1971-07-19) July 19, 1971 (age 52)
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Genres Progressive metal, power metal, hard rock
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, bass guitar
Years active1995–present
Member of
Formerly of

Russell Allen (born July 19, 1971) is an American singer best known as the vocalist of the progressive metal band Symphony X. He has also worked with the supergroups Star One, Allen-Lande, Adrenaline Mob, Level 10, and as one of fourteen vocalists in the progressive symphonic metal band Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Contents

Biography

Before his music career began, Allen 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 regarding 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. The same year, he also made part of a duo melodic rock project with singer Jørn Lande (ex-Masterplan) called Allen/Lande, which 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.

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. 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. [1]

In 2020, Russell Allen collaborated with former Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon on a new a duo melodic rock project under the name Allen/Olzon. Worlds Apart , their debut album, was released on March 6, 2020. [2]

Musical style

Allen during a Symphony X concert in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2007 Sx-russell-3-small.JPG
Allen during a Symphony X concert in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2007

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" and also mentioned Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden and former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers as influences. [4]

Discography

Allen with Symphony X in 2016 Russell Allen, 2016a.jpg
Allen with Symphony X in 2016

Solo

With Symphony X

With Star One

With Allen/Lande

With Adrenaline Mob

With Level 10

With Joel Hoekstra's 13

With Allen/Olzon

As a guest

With Ayreon

With Genius – A Rock Opera

  • Episode 2: In Search of the Little Prince (2004) – as The Dream League Commander

With Avantasia

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

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

With Trans-Siberian Orchestra

With Magni Animi Viri

  • Heroes Temporis (World Edition) (2016)

Related Research Articles

Star One is a Dutch progressive metal supergroup/side-project of Arjen Anthony Lucassen of Ayreon fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayreon</span> Dutch progressive rock/metal project

Ayreon is a musical project by Dutch songwriter, singer, musician and record producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen. Ayreon's music is described as progressive rock, progressive metal and power metal sometimes combined with genres such as folk, electronica, experimental and classical music. The majority of Ayreon's albums are dubbed "rock operas" because the albums contain complex storylines featuring a host of characters, usually with each one being represented by a unique vocalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damian Wilson</span> English progressive rock and metal singer

Damian Wilson is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Wilson works in the progressive metal genre and was the lead singer of Headspace and Threshold. He sang and toured with bands and projects for Star One, Ayreon, Landmarq, Praying Mantis and with Rick Wakeman's English Rock Ensemble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anneke van Giersbergen</span> Dutch singer and musician

Anna Maria "Anneke" van Giersbergen is a Dutch singer, songwriter and guitarist who became known worldwide as the lead singer for the rock band The Gathering between 1994 and 2007. She also has a solo career. The project was originally called Agua de Annique, but now goes by her own name.

<i>Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator</i> 2000 studio album by Ayreon

Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator is the fifth album from Ayreon, a progressive metal/rock opera project by Dutch musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen, released in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floor Jansen</span> Dutch singer

Floor Jansen is a Dutch singer and songwriter. She is the third and current lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arjen Lucassen</span> Dutch musician

Arjen Anthony Lucassen is a Dutch singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer best known for his long-running progressive metal/rock opera project Ayreon. Lucassen started his career in 1980 as the guitarist and backing vocalist of Dutch band Bodine as Iron Anthony, before joining Vengeance in 1984. After eight years he left the band, wanting to go into a more progressive direction, and released two years later an unsuccessful solo album entitled Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy under the nickname Anthony.

<i>Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer</i> 2000 studio album by Ayreon

Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer is a progressive rock album released in 2000 by Dutch multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Arjen Lucassen, and is the fourth album of his Ayreon project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Romeo</span> American guitarist

Michael James Romeo is an American musician, best known as the guitarist, founding member, and main songwriter of the progressive metal group Symphony X. He is one of two members to appear on every Symphony X release.

<i>Elected</i> (EP) 2008 EP by Ayreon

Elected is the first EP by progressive metal project Ayreon, owned by Dutch musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen. It was released on 25 April 2008 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and on 28 April in the rest of Europe. It features the guest performance of German singer Tobias Sammet, from Avantasia and Edguy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen (collaborative projects)</span> Set of collaborative metal supergroups

Allen/___ is a set of collaborative metal supergroup projects by Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Karevik</span> Swedish singer (born 1981)

Tommy Karevik is a Swedish metal vocalist. He is the lead singer of Kamelot and former lead vocalist of Seventh Wonder from 2005 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arjen Lucassen discography</span> Discography for Dutch musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen

Arjen Lucassen is a Dutch multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is most known as the creator of progressive metal/rock opera Ayreon.

Irene Jansen is a Dutch singer. She sang on the Ayreon album The Human Equation, portraying the character Passion. She was also the live backing vocalist of Star One during their tour in 2003, and played the character Morgana in two Gary Hughes concept albums. She was the lead singer of a power metal band called Karma. She made her first recordings in more than a decade for the Alarion album Waves of Destruction, released in 2016.

<i>Ayreonauts Only</i> 2000 compilation album by Ayreon

Ayreonauts Only is the first compilation album by Dutch progressive metal project Ayreon by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, released in 2000. Although categorized as a compilation album, it consists only of previously unreleased material, with alternate versions of Ayreon songs with different singers, demos, and of the song "Cold Metal" from Lucassen's then-upcoming project Ambeon.

<i>Dying to Live</i> (13 album) 2015 studio album by Joel Hoekstras 13

Dying to Live is the first full-length studio album by Joel Hoekstra's 13. It was released on October 16, 2015 by Frontiers Records.

<i>The Source</i> (Ayreon album) 2017 studio album by Ayreon

The Source is the ninth studio album from Ayreon, a progressive metal/rock opera project by Dutch musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen, released on 28 April 2017. It is Lucassen's first album under his new label, Mascot Label Group.

<i>Worlds Apart</i> (Allen/Olzon album) 2020 studio album by Allen/Olzon

Worlds Apart is a collaborative album by American singer Russell Allen and Swedish singer Anette Olzon (ex-Nightwish) under the moniker Allen/Olzon. It was released through Frontiers Records on 6 March 2020.

<i>Revel in Time</i> 2022 studio album by Star One

Revel in Time is the third studio album by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's progressive metal project/supergroup Star One, released via Inside Out on 18 February 2022.

John "Jaycee" Cuijpers is a Dutch singer. He is best known as lead singer of the English heavy metal band Praying Mantis and collaborator on music projects by Arjen Lucassen. Cuijpers has played in many cover bands, like Van Hagar, Parris and Deo.

References

  1. "WHITESNAKE/Ex-NIGHT RANGER Guitarist JOEL HOEKSTRA To Release JOEL HOEKSTRA'S 13 Debut 'Dying To Live'". Blabbermouth. July 29, 2015.
  2. 1 2 BraveWords. "ALLEN/OLZON Feat. RUSSELL ALLEN And ANETTE OLZON Streaming New Song "What If I Live"; Debut Album Out Now". bravewords.com. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  3. Lucassen, Arjen. "Artist – Russell Allen". ArjenLucassen.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2006.
  4. "ALLEN/LANDE: In-depth Interview With Russell Allen". Metalassault.com. January 29, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  5. "Guest Musicians". New Ayreon Album. Retrieved December 29, 2016.