SYMPHONY X's RUSSELL ALLEN Is The Progressive Metal Powerhouse Vocalist With A Vulnerable Side

By David E. Gehlke

SYMPHONY X's 2002 "The Odyssey" is anchored by its 25-minute epic title track. Based on Homer's "Odyssey", which details the trials and tribulations of the ancient Greek hero Odysseus, SYMPHONY X's "The Odyssey" was a seven-part drama spun through the lens of sublimely epic progressive power metal. The obscene musical capabilities of SYMPHONY X notwithstanding, "The Odyssey" would have never become the masterpiece it is if not for lead singer Russell Allen. Allen's distinctive ability to carry virtually every emotion possible and harness it, whether through brute force, high-wire vocal acrobatics or soft touches, was (and still is) SYMPHONY X's ace-in-the-hole, a decided advantage over virtually every other progressive metal band in existence. Allen can do it all and has pretty much done so inside and outside of SYMPHONY X, including the now-defunct rock outfit ADRENALINE MOB, traveling holiday extravaganza TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA [TSO] , 2005 "Atomic Soul" solo album and multitudes of guest work.

The singer recently put out a new acoustic solo cut, "Love Her Like I Do (Ava's Song)" , dedicated to his daughter. Released during Autism Awareness Month in April, the song details Allen's experiences as a father of a daughter on the autism spectrum, offering a rare glimpse into the personal life of a man known for his character portrayals and status as one of progressive metal's finest singers. BLABBERMOUTH.NET got Allen on the horn to talk not only about "Ava's Song", but also his dual life as a father and touring musician, plans for another solo album and more.

Blabbermouth: You've made a career out of singing heavily researched, deep, mythological songs. With "Ava's Song", it comes from such a personal place. What has it been like to go there?

Russell: "It's therapeutic. Let's put it that way. It's an opportunity for me to be extremely vulnerable and talk about a really sensitive topic that's close to the chest for me. And this medium makes it easier to do that. I grew up in a country music family. My mom and dad are musicians; my sister is actually singing with me on this song. I come from a musical family, and I have that outlet. I felt that, to talk about family, the acoustic genre would work best. That's the big difference: When you're doing stuff in the 'metal' fantasy world, it's a different animal. But I've always tried, even with the stuff with the band; I always tried to personalize it in some ways, like the characters, whatever the arc is in the story. Can I relate to this? I've had loss; I've suffered betrayal. I'm always looking for those things. It's more like being an actor who uses personal experience to emote in those moments, when this was pure, real emotion because I saw it. This has happened to my family. That was the difference. As I said, it was very therapeutic and empowering. It was very real. I think it will help carry that into my other work and be more vulnerable with SYMPHONY X or whatever else I'm working on."

Blabbermouth: How has the balancing act of being a parent and touring frequently gone for you?

Russell: "First and foremost, I have a great partner. My wife is amazing. She's put up with all of my crap, and all that crap is in this world, the rock and roll world. [Laughs] That's super important. We are a good team. I live a double life. She's held it down while I've been out being a rock/heavy metal pirate. [Laughs] I always blame her. It's her fault. I've known her since I was 18, and she was the one who encouraged me to audition for bands: 'It's all your fault. You made the monster that is Russell Allen.' She's like, 'Yeah, whatever…' [Laughs] We've had our ups and downs as a family with me being away. It's been tough at times on the kids; it's tough on me. I hate being gone, missing birthdays, holidays. It's really crappy. It's time I can never get back. What haunts my black pirate heart all the time is all the time I can't get back, but you could argue that I'm providing for my family, which is true. That's the thing that sort of hurts the most. When I'm home, I'm home a thousand percent, like I'm not working a nine-to-five. I'm home for months on end. I coach my son's football here in town, not just my son's, but other kids who have gotten involved in my town for the last seven years."

Blabbermouth: How about that? Russell Allen the football coach.

Russell: "I got the whole outfit on when I do it. I'm a [Las Vegas] Raiders fan, so it wasn't a big stretch for me. My team was the Raiders, so I had all the gear. We just happened to be that. I just dove headlong into that stuff, getting involved in the things my kids were involved in and spending that time here at home, doing the fatherly things, honey-do lists, and making the house nice and everything I need to do. I love all that stuff. Like I said: It's a double life. I like being at home; I like being a nobody when I'm home. I don't really go to a lot of shows. I have other friends in the business who want to be seen or feel the need to be out there and be relevant. I've never had that hang-up. I know eventually SYMPHONY X or TSO is going to come around, so I'll be out there. I think I've done my fair share. [Laughs] It's funny because my friends in the business make fun of me because I'll fall off the social media map when I'm home. When I'm on tour, I'll post stuff because I feel like I have something to talk about, and even doing interviews, I have something to talk about, like this song. Normally, when I'm home, I don't go anywhere. When my friends come to town that I'm close to in the business, I'll go to their shows, but when you're on a bus for months, and you're in clubs, theaters, and even festivals, and all the noise, I know I'm sounding like an old man. Seriously, I'm done with it. I walked a thousand percent into that life: Staying up late, talking with everyone, being social. When I was younger, of course I partied, but not crazy, crazy. We were always drinking, hanging out. That's all teetered off, but I'm still a thousand percent in because I want to be at my best. I'm usually doing the gym thing, all this stuff to keep me going, but when I'm home, it all goes away. It's like, 'Who was that guy?'"

Blabbermouth: Has your daughter heard the song? If so, what did she think?

Russell: "She was very emotional. I don't think she was ready for it. It hit all of us. She was very happy, very proud. She's very highly functioning, very aware of everything. She's aware of the fact that she's different. She's got all these things, these quirks that are normal to her, but she's aware of them. When she was listening to the song, I could see it in her face, in her eyes; then she broke down. She really likes the song. She's very black and white. There's not much gray area with people like her on the spectrum. She's like, 'That wasn't exactly what happened. And that's not the color of the character.' I'm like, 'Okay, Ava. It rhymes, it's generally the right thing.' She goes, 'Yes, yes.' I had a little bit of that, but other than that, she liked it."

Blabbermouth: Have you ever been this nervous about sharing a song with someone?

Russell: "I had another guy ask me the same question, if I had any hesitation. Not at all. From a creative perspective, the song is real. I know it's good because it's very real. There's no guesswork with it, like 'Who?' or 'I wonder if…?' This really happened. If you like it or not, it's a taste thing, fine, but the fact for me is, 'This is what happened to me. This is what happened to our family. This is what our daughter has been going through, and it's what I'm seeing and feeling.' The only hesitation, to be honest, is that the song has been done for a year and a half. I had my sister come out and sing with me last year. I could have released it last year, but the problem is, the year prior to that, all the election and everything in 2024, all this stuff. I was like, 'Who is going to listen? Who is going to care with all this hubbub going on about that?' I'm not into politics or any of that crap, but I am into wanting to raise awareness for autism. I want to make sure it has a chance to be heard, and people care about it. Then I came to realize, 'You know what? The world can't wait. There is no time. I want to get this out there, and I want to help, not only people like my daughter who is on the spectrum, but parents like me, who don't have a voice.' I was thinking about what they were going through. That's why I was like, 'I'm putting it out.' Of course, there's a war now in the Middle East. You can't control the world. I just wish we'd all grow up, but this thing makes you grow up, I'll tell you that much. When something like this happens to you, and you're doing it with a loved one who is struggling and confronting real life, you grow up pretty quick. You learn that all that other stuff isn't important anymore."

Blabbermouth: You have been hinting at doing another solo album. "Atomic Soul" came out in 2005 when "The Odyssey" was still going full-speed ahead, but at your core, you're a classic rock guy who happens to be in one of the best progressive metal bands. Will you do another solo album?

Russell: "Yeah. I've been writing some songs — a lot of songs, actually. I'm not getting locked into any genre. I'm just having fun writing a bunch of songs that have a personal meaning for me. I got another song that's more rock / acoustic, and it's not about my son, but it's for my son. It's an inspirational song, things like that. The next thing I'll put out, I don't know if it's going to be an album or not — maybe just songs. I don't know. SYMPHONY X is finishing up the record and getting it all recorded, so that's my focus. If I can get some of these tracks recorded, and out there, I can get [those songs] out before this thing comes out, because that will take over my life. Yeah, I really want to do that. I think it would be cool. I think it's long overdue. The difference is that in the past, I was experimenting with all kinds of types of music — I had never made a record before. It was the process of, 'How do I produce a record?' 'How do I work all this stuff?' There was a learning curve for me. Now, years later, of course, I'm better educated in production and things like that, but now it's like, 'Okay, I've had a lot of life experiences. I've dealt with some serious tragedies since that record came out and some ups and downs.' I've got a lot to say. This thing I've done with 'Love Her Like I Do' opens a chapter to talk about deeply personal things like that. So the next record or whatever I put out will be like that. I already have two or three songs that touch on that, about my life, just about what I do. You just talked about the double life because it's 'The Life I Lead'; that's a title of a song I did. I'm really motivated to put to music things that are part of my existence, things that I've touched on, things that I've experienced and things that I feel. That's where I'm at with it."

Blabbermouth: Did you have a good experience releasing "Atomic Soul" 21 years ago?

Russell: "It was fun. It was great. [Michael] Romeo [SYMPHONY X] helped me; a lot of guys I used to be in bands in Jersey played on it. I actually played guitar on it. I actually did a lot of work on that record. That was a lot of work. I'm proud of it. I still sign a lot of those albums. They're like, 'Hey, can you sign 'Atomic Soul'? I'm like, 'Wow, you have it? Okay, cool.' It wasn't anything experimental. There's some rock stuff. There's also a proggy song, a metal song. It doesn't have a whole sort of cohesive vibe. I was putting a bunch of different things out there with my voice as a younger guy, saying, 'Hey, can I sing this?' I love Paul Rodgers. I wanted to do a song like BAD COMPANY. That's where the difference will be. These will be more refined and more focused, each song."

Blabbermouth: You have demonstrated, not only with SYMPHONY X and "Ava's Song" that you can sing pretty much anything. Do you have a preference? Or, will you give me the cliché answer and say you like to sing all kinds of songs?

Russell: "I don't really care if it's heavy or soft — as long as it's hitting me, as long as it's something I feel and if it's something I'm really wanting to say. The thing that I've learned in my life is that having the vocal ability is great, the talent, whatever you want to call it, but having something important to say is way better. That's really where it's at for me. It's really the lyrics. I don't care what the genre is. I've recorded a ton of stuff. I've even been recording some stuff for friends right now that's not super serious, but they're friends of mine, so it's a guest spot. For my own material, the band, I don't care; I don't have a preference. Of course, this song—no one has heard me sing in this low range, meaning range-wise, but just deeply personal, like if I'm talking to you or whispering this into your ear. It's like a very soft voice. It's a vulnerable voice. I do like that a lot. I feel like it's the best way to convey something deeply emotional. You can also have a deeply emotional track with a big, bombastic thing going on, like [Luciano] Pavarotti; that's deeply emotional too. That's a powerful thing. I like all of it; I really do. The thing that really excites me is, 'What am I saying? Who am I talking to? Is it something worth saying?' That's where I am."

Blabbermouth: There is the occasional argument that lyrics are not important, especially in some of the extreme styles of metal, but you bring it home that they do matter.

Russell: "They do, and it sticks with you, even if it's a hook line or something that really moves you. That's what makes a song stick. Sometimes the lyrics mean nothing more than, 'Yay! I'm happy!' But how it's presented makes it important, or 'Aw, I'm sad.' The magic is the realness of it, even if it's something that isn't lyrically eloquent; if you can feel that the person means it, you can say, 'I love you' a million different ways and the way someone says it when they mean it is what people respond to. That's what people respond to; I want to have that level of connection. That's what I've learned over the years. I've been blessed, thank god, to still be able to do it. There's a lot of people who I've come up with that aren't around anymore in the business and also in life. That's the way it goes. There's not a lot of us left."

Blabbermouth: Well, you're not an old-timer nor are you a young pup. You're at the halfway mark or 60 percent.

Russell: "Let's go with 50 percent. [Laughs] The football coach guy wants to push me into retirement and play golf. The 'rockstar' guy or the musician, the artist, I'm never getting off the pirate ship. I'm going to do music until I'm done, until I'm dead. That's what I signed up for in life. I'm okay with that. It took a while to be okay with that, but I was like, 'Yeah, okay.' It costs a lot of the people around you. It costs a lot. It's that cost, and I feel that. I never want anyone to pay my own way. That's the tough part. All in all, looking back, it's like, yeah, I've had a lot of good time at home and a lot of good times in between things that I've done. I've never forced myself to work. The hardest I did it, and I paid for it when I tried to do X, the MOB and TSO all at the same time. That almost killed me. It was too much time away. That year, I said to myself, 'I'm not doing this again to myself or my family. This is too much.' Something had to give. Unfortunately, we were in that terrible accident. [ADRENALINE MOB was in a 2017 bus accident that killed bassist David 'Z' Zablidowsky. Tour manager Jane Train later succumbed to injuries suffered in the crash.] That ended that. I don't know if I would have been able to keep pace anyway. It wasn't healthy for me, mentally, physically, emotionally; it wasn't really working."

Blabbermouth: Was it more comfortable when SYMPHONY X was touring but not overdoing it, and you were doing a lot of guest work with STAR ONE and ALLEN / LANDE?

Russell: "It was guest stuff with Arjen [Anthony Lucassen, AYREON, STAR ONE], and all of the ALLEN / LANDE stuff that never materialized into touring. They were great records and projects and stuff with Magnus [Karlsson] on my own time. I'd come out to my studio. That was at my old house; I had a shed in my backyard that I converted. It was awesome, a man cave, but it was working space. Now I have a space that I've built in my new home. I can come into this sanctuary to work on projects, escape and make music with friends. Those were good times, but I only really toured with SYMPHONY X. To your point, I was very happy. I could be home, but I could also go out and get the live experience. Nowadays, we've done a good amount of touring over the past couple of years without a record out. [Laughs] Our audience has gotten bigger and younger — I don't understand, but it's cool! As you said, we're not a bunch of relics. The guys can still play, I can still sing, we still rock, and we're still relevant. We got a lot of mosh pits, and I'm like, 'Wow. Okay. For a prog metal band?' [Laughs] That always baffles me. There's a shot from when we were in Chile, and people were going nuts. I twirl my hand around, and they do their thing. It's not people my age and older who are at the shows in the pits and up front. I could see the faces. That's really encouraging for the band and a testament to its staying power. We've never been a trendy band or whatever. We don't fit into any timeframe: 'Oh, they're an '80s band. A '90s band. A 2000s band.' We don't have that. We're not a pure prog band either. We're already a cross-genre act. [Radio host] Eddie Trunk asked me, 'How is it that SYMPHONY X can play 70,000 Tons Of Metal and the prog cruises and Monsters Of Rock and '80s cruises?' You can't really nail us down into a lane. I say it's a blessing and a curse. He said, 'What do you mean by curse?' A lot of bands can have more success if they're focused, since you know your market and what you're going for. You're opening and touring with those bands, and you built that audience. We've toured with everyone under the sun. OVERKILL to HAKEN. We just had all these different types of bands we've been out with and played festivals with. I love it."

Press photo courtesy of Secret Service Publicity