Russell Allen

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Russell Allen (born July 19, 1971 in Long Beach, California) is the singer of the American progressive metal band Symphony X.

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 six 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", 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). It is said that Russell is in the works with guitarist Mike Orlando for a second solo album that may be released in the mid summer of 2011. In addition to being on tour with Symphony X, he is also currently working on another project with 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 2011.

Musical style
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. 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).

Solo

 * Russell Allen's 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)

With Ayreon

 * Flight of the Migrator (2000)

With Star One

 * Space Metal (2002)
 * Live On Earth (2003, live album)
 * Victims of the Modern Age (2010)

With Jørn Lande (as Allen/Lande)

 * The Battle (2005)
 * The Revenge (2007)
 * The Showdown (2010)

With Genius - A Rock Opera

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

With Dream Theater

 * Guest lead and backing vocals on "Cemetery Gates" (Uncovered 2003-2005) & (Gigantour 2005)

With Avantasia

 * The Wicked Symphony (2010)
 * Angel of Babylon (2010)

With ReVamp

 * ReVamp - Guest vocals on Sweet Curse (2010)