Russell Allen
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| Russell Allen | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Russell Allen |
| Born | July 19, 1971 |
| Origin | Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Progressive metal Hard rock |
| Instrument(s) | vocals |
| Years active | 1995-present |
| Associated acts | Symphony X Star One Ayreon Allen-Lande |
Russell Allen (born July 19, 1971 in Long Beach, California) is the singer of the American symphonic progressive metal band Symphony X.
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[edit] Biography
Allen has been the lead singer of Symphony X since 1995, releasing seven studio albums 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 is credited as such on Arjen Lucassen's Star One album.
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.
[edit] Musical style
Russell is most well-known for his very powerful singing style and drawn out vocal lines; possibly the most notable of which can be heard in the song "Wicked", on Symphony X's 2002 album, The Odyssey. More recently, Allen has demonstrated a harsher vocal style on Paradise Lost and during live performances. His singing is much lower and more forceful, at times adding a sharp "growling" style blended with his older melodic style. This, combined with Michael Romeo's recent use of D tuning, makes for a much heavier sound on stage, even in performances of older, more melodic songs.
Multi-instrumentalist 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.[1] | ” |
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.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Solo
- Russell Allen's Atomic Soul (2005)
[edit] With Symphony X
- The Damnation Game (1995)
- The Divine Wings of Tragedy (1997)
- Twilight in Olympus (1998)
- V: The New Mythology Suite (2000)
- The Odyssey (2002)
- Paradise Lost (2007)
[edit] With Star One
- Space Metal (2002)
- Live On Earth (2003, live album)
[edit] With Jørn Lande (as Allen/Lande)
- The Battle (2005)
- The Revenge (2007)
[edit] External links
- ^ Lucassen, Arjen. Artist - Russell Allen. ArjenLucassen.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
[edit] Official websites
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