Richie Allan: Re-Introducing The Lost Virtuoso and the Heavy Metal Ninjas

The Lost Virtuoso: Re-Introducing Richie Allan and the Heavy Metal Ninjas

If you’ve been following Truth in Shredding since the early 2010s, the name Richie Allan should instantly command your respect.

Recently, while running a massive backend audit of the site’s 79,000+ posts to clear out dead links, our script tripped over a goldmine from 2013. It was a post dedicated to Allan and his New Zealand-based instrumental progressive juggernaut, Heavy Metal Ninjas.

In an era where every bedroom player with a ring light is desperately trying to play as fast as humanly possible, re-listening to Richie Allan is a masterclass in how to actually construct an instrumental song. If you have lost track of the "Head Ninja," or if you are a newer player who has never heard his name, it’s time to get educated.

Here is everything you need to know about one of the most expressive, razor-sharp guitarists to ever come out of the Southern Hemisphere.

The Biography: Who is Richie Allan?

Hailing from New Zealand, Richie Allan is the mastermind, lead guitarist, and self-proclaimed "Head Ninja" of Heavy Metal Ninjas. He also lent his highly sought-after rhythm and lead chops to the NZ dub/roots/metal fusion band Kora.

Allan’s DNA as a player is deeply rooted in the holy trinity of old-school shred—Steve Vai, Jason Becker, and Paul Gilbert. But he didn't just copy the 80s neoclassical guys. Allan took that virtuosic foundation and collided it head-on with modern progressive metal, drop-tuned 8-string riffing, and his own obsessions with cinema, space, and video game soundtracks.

His playing is defined by massive orchestral walls of sound, terrifyingly clean sweeping, and advanced harmonic tension. He doesn't just play fast; he plays smart. Allan is the kind of player who will fluidly shift from a C Lydian arpeggio sequence into an aggressive Drop-E 8-string chug, and then rip into a solo utilizing Hungarian minor scales and alien-sounding octave displacement.

His tone and technique are so distinct that Ormsby Guitars tapped him for his own signature "RA" models, featuring multiscale 7- and 8-string designs built to handle the immense low-end of his rhythm playing without sacrificing the screaming highs of his lead tone.

The Discography: Required Listening

If you want to understand how to write instrumental music that actually takes the listener on a journey (instead of just showing off for three minutes), study these two releases:

1. Heavy Metal Ninjas - EP (2011/2012)

This was the warning shot. This debut EP laid the groundwork for the band's cinematic approach to shred.

Key Tracks: The Author (a clinic in blending synthesizers with an axe attack), What If, M45, and Redshift.

The Vibe: Massive, expansive space odysseys built on wicked polymeters and intricate syncopation.

Heavy Metal Ninjas | EP | 2012

2. Interstellar Abduction (2013)

This is the magnum opus. Interstellar Abduction is a masterwork of modern instrumental metal. It is aggressive, melodic, and flawlessly produced. It proves that you can have face-melting shred without losing the emotional arc of a song.

Key Tracks: Design (an absolute clinic in arpeggio inversion, tapping, and rhythmic control), Melodyk, Propulsion (Pt. 1 & 2), and Interstellar Abduction.
The Bottom Line

Richie Allan is living proof that true virtuosity isn't just about how many notes you can squeeze into a measure—it’s about the harmonic choices you make and the atmosphere you build. He bridged the gap between old-school shred and modern prog-metal before it was cool.

Heavy Metal Ninjas | Interstellar Abduction | 2013

Go look up Design or M45, study the phrasing, and remember what top-tier musicianship actually sounds like.

Heavy Metal Ninjas: M45 (Live) - TouchMix Sessions

Watching Richie Allan flawlessly execute his incredibly complex phrasing in a live setting proves that his precision isn't just studio magic, but the result of absolute mastery over the instrument.

Live performances from NAMM

NAMM 2016: Richie Allan Live At The Dunlop Booth (Part 1)