The Poodles is more than just your average, run-of-the-mill, rock act.
A distinct group of Sweden's most experienced metal and hard rock musicians have assembled to spread metal to the people. That's the mission of the mighty Poodles from Sweden.
"We want to make people feel good, powerful, and free. In the world we live in, there is an obligation to stand up for what you believe is right. Too many people are trying to control you, so we want to represent something different. We want to inspire our listeners to live life the way they want to without letting conventions rule you." says Jakob, lead singer of The Poodles.
Over the years, the members of the band have worked in different contexts and constellations with international celebrities like Motörhead, Whitesnake, Alice Cooper, Thin Lizzy, and Swedish colleagues like Europe and Candlemass.
In the fall of 2005 the first official line-up was completed and in the spring of 2006 The Poodles competed in the Swedish version of the "Eurovision Song Contest", which also marked their big break-through in their native country.
The debut album "Metal Will Stand Tall" was released in Sweden & Finland in May 2006 and soon after in Japan by King Records, IROND in Russia and the CIS. It topped the Swedish sales charts, and the debut single "Night Of Passion" sold gold in Sweden after just three weeks. It has now sold platinum and it was also the number one downloaded song three weeks in a row!
The second single from the album was the title track "Metal Will Stand Tall". It featured guest vocals by Tess, member of the disco group Alcazar, who sings in a blistering duet with Jakob and who is also featured in the video clip. It entered the singles chart at number two one week after its’ release, climbed to the number one spot and sold gold after just on month! Also, a third single, "Song For You", was released and hit gold status.
"Metal Will Stand Tall" features songs by some of the most well known songwriters in the world such as Holly Knight (Tina Turner, Aerosmith, Kiss etc) and others.
During 2006 the band played over 100 shows in Sweden and in January 2007 "Metal Will Stand Tall" was released in Europe by AFM Records. Following the release they went on tour across Europe with Hammerfall and Krokus, together they did 31 shows in 18 countries in only 35 days.
On April 25, 2007 The Poodles released "Seven Seas", the first single from their second album "Sweet Trade". Just like the debut album "Metal Will Stand Tall", it was produced by Matti Alfonzetti and Johan Lyander. The song "Seven Seas" was written by Jakob Samuel, Jonas Reingold and Peter Stormare who is also featured as Black Sam - the pirate on the song. (Peter Stormare – the actor in inter alia Prison Break, Fargo and Jurassic Park).
With canons loaded, the sails hoisted for the journey under a dawn sky, the album "Sweet Trade" was released on September 19, 2007 in Sweden as well as in 30 European countries, Russia and Japan, and on October 12 The Poodles embarked on another crusade - showing Europe the sweet trade of heavy metal.
The second single to come off the "Sweet Trade" album, was "Streets of Fire", which raced through the charts to eventually sell double-platinum, the greatest number of sold singles to date by the band.
The fall of 2007 was spent on the roads of Europe, playing hall-size venues as Special guest with Gotthard. The response from the crowd and business associates alike was fantastic. The groundwork was now laid for a headline tour of their own.
In the spring of 2008, the band was once again featured in the Swedish leg of the "Eurovision Song Contest". This time they allied themselves with the well known artist E-Type, a multi-platinum selling act by himself. The song "Line of Fire" was well received and has reached gold status.
Next, The Poodles tried their wings playing a headline tour of their own, with Jaded Heart as Special guest. The tour consisted of 17 sold-out dates throughout Europe with blasting results. Some shows were even moved to bigger venues as a result of the great interest in the band.
As spring turned to summer the band was asked to record and perform the Official Swedish Anthem for the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing in August 2008. "Raise the Banner" was released on July 15 and reached gold status shortly thereafter. The song “Raise the Banner” also hit the number one spot on the Swedish sales-chart in August of 2008.
In May, 2008, Pontus Norgren decided to leave the band. In the wake of this, The Poodles didn’t hesitate to contact the guitar player first considered for the band, Henrik Bergqvist (previsously in Southfork and Tiamat), who now was avalible. Back in 2006, however, he was stuck in the Mexican rain forest among the Mayan Indians and no guitar within a 350 mile radius as well as other obligations hanging over his head. In Henrik, The Poodles found the perfect persona with the right musical qualities and energy for the exiting adventures that lay ahead.
Starting on June 6, which also was Henrik's premiere with the band, The Poodles embarked on one of the biggest Swedish summer tours of any act, playing more than 30 shows in a little over 2 months. From Sweden Rock in the south to Pajala in the north, the band zig-zagged across the Swedish country side like true rock'n'roll demons.
The band also found time to do a couple of summer festival shows in Europe where they realized that all the hard work they put in during 2006 and 2007 was beginning to pay off. Audiences were both numerous and enthusiastic, something the band took home with them in preparation for the new recording effort that awaits in the fall of 2008.
Planned for release in the spring of 2009, the band's third album promises to be something extraordinary. An amazing group of talented songwriters has joined forces to help create a pool of songs that will jolt even the most jaded music lover. Be sure to keep an eye out for any news relating to this landmark event!
Konbanwa (good evening)! Thank you for reading my stories (^o^). Hope the weather is nice over there and you enjoy long summer days right now. Have a nice evening! Matane (vi syns)!
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We’re a cover duet folkie style from Spain, that play songs of artists like Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Neal Morse, Deep Purple, Mike Oldfield, Blackmore’s Night, Bad Religion, Jewel...
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