Artist: The Poodles
   Title: Metal Will Stand
   Label: AFM Records

Well it's 2007 so let's get the new year off to a rocking start with Swedish rockers The Poodles, who consist of Jakob Samuel (formerly of Talisman, Jekyll & Hyde and The Ring) on vocals, Pontus Norgren (formerly of Great King Rat, Jekyll & Hyde and The Ring) on lead guitar, Pontus Egberg (formerly of the Zan Clan, Steamroller, Lion's Share) on bass, and completing the line-up Christian Lundqvist on drums.

The band shot to fame in their native Sweden when they won one of the four qualifying rounds for Eurovision 2006, with their eighties style rocker 'Night of Passion', which was then subsequently released as a single and entered the Swedish charts at No. 2.

The album itself was release in Sweden and Finland in May of 2006, but thankfully now the band have signed a deal with AFM Records for the rest of Europe so we can all enjoy their music.

The album itself opens up with ‘Echoes From The Past’, a track full of eighties anthemic passion that will have reaching into the back of your wardrobe for those forgotten spandex and trying to squeeze into them one more time.  Such is the case with the majority of the tracks on this album.

The word anthemic was most definitely made for the next track ‘Metal Will Stand Tall’, a track that when released as the second single by the band, reached number two in the Swedish charts.  It's driven guitars and sing along chorus make this a great dance along track that will surely fill the dance floors of the European rock clubs this year.

Next is the bands first single and their entry for 2006 Eurovision ‘Night Of Passion’, another piece of pure Scandinavian cock rock that will have you rocking from the off.

The pace of the album slows down a touch with the gentle sounding of ‘Song For You’, a gentle ballad with the added bonus of an orchestral and operatic arrangement that gives the track a touch of class.

‘Shadows’ and ‘Lie To Me’ are two ballsy hard rock tracks that made Sweden such a force in the rock world, now with The Poodles no holds barred style, it will be great once more.

The album continues with another gentle ballad like track entitled ‘Rockstar’.  The album boasts just one cover track and what boy a cover version, as the band take Ultravox’s ‘Dancing With Tears In My Eyes’ and make it their own.

The anthemic feel returns with ‘Don’t Give Up On Love’.  This is melodic hard rock at its best, a track where the vocals of Samuel really come into their own as he shows what a great talent he is.

Things get a touch heavier with the pounding rhythms of ‘Number One’, which just keep on going well into ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, two massive tracks that rock big style.

The album closes with another ballad this time ‘Crying’, which brings to a close a really good hard rock album by a band that will surely have the same impact that Norway’s Wig Wam did in 2005/6.  So watch out for The Poodles in 2007, they're about to start their campaign for world domination!

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