Review Summary: On Russell Allen's first solo release, he shows you what he was born to do: front a blues band while retaining enough heavy metal to keep things interesting.
Solo albums are a tricky thing to judge. More often than not, solo albums seem like they could be a retread of the work the former band had did (Mr. Turilli, all eyes are on you). Occasionally, though, you’ll get something that sounds nothing like that former band. The most obvious example of this is Bruce Dickinson’s solo work. If you don’t know what Iron Maiden sounds like, that rock must be PRETTY heavy that you’re living under. Simply put, Dickinson’s solo work sounds nothing like Maiden.
This is not a Bruce Dickinson review, though. This is a Russell Allen review. What are the similarities between the two, you may ask? Well, both are singers. Both kick copious amounts of ass. And both have released solo albums in different styles than their former bands.
Russell Allen is the current singer/frontman of progressive metal band Symphony X, one of the finest in the scene. He is renowned throughout the metal scene for his killer vocals in everything he does. The man has an unbelievable range, and one of the most powerful voices that I’ve ever heard. He will captivate you to no end.
I’ve always thought Allen to have a very bluesy voice. Apparently, he did too. He got together with some of his chums (including Symphony X guitarist Michael Romeo) and churned out this album full of down home blues rock tunes. Which is a bit weird, coming from a bunch of New Jerseyans.
For whatever reason, though, the album works in a big way. I’ve heard people call Russell Allen a “reject from a biker bar karaoke tournament”, and the comparison is somewhat valid. Cept he’s not a reject. He makes the songs his, with his commanding tone and vocal stylings. Allen is truly in his element here, and uses it to his advantage in every single song.
Allen is backed by a band with members who know what they are doing. None of them are jaw-dropping at their instruments, but they know how to complement Allen PERFECTLY, which is most important. Lots of distortion, hard hits, and pentatonic scales are all keys in what makes this a great album.
There are a few songs on here that sound like Symphony X could have written them.
Gaia calls to mind the excellent song Egypt from the SX album V, with pounding power chords and exotic string arrangements, and
We Will Fly wouldn’t be out of place with tracks like The Accolade.
Atomic Soul, one of the highlights of the album, manages to bridge the gap between progressive power metal and blues rock somehow, for quite the interesting combination.
The majority of the songs all remain in that same blues rock kickassery pattern though, and therein lies the album’s biggest flaw: little variation. After a few songs, the riffs begin to blend together, and Allen’s voice, great as it is, begins to sound stale. I like when he tones down a bit and shows off the soothing side to his voice. There is almost none of this on the album; it’s all devoted to the control. Granted, there’s nothing wrong with that, but variation is a good thing to have.
Even taking these few problems into account, Atomic Soul is still a great album. It’s nothing that could be called a classic, or genre defining, or changing the world. None of that. What this album does is stick to the tried and true of both the progressive metal and the blues rock scene, and stick the best vocalist for both of those genres at the helm and lets him steer it wherever the hell he damn well pleases. Fans of Russell Allen would do themselves a great disservice by not listening to this album.
Recommended Tracks:
Blackout
Voodoo Hand
Seasons Of Insanity
Loosin’ You
Atomic Soul
