The Poodles

The Poodles formed in Stockholm in 2005 as a Swedish glam metal outfit whose lineup has remained stable with Jakob Samuel handling vocals, Henrik Bergqvist on guitar, Pontus Egberg on bass, and Christian Lundqvist behind the drums. Their breakthrough arrived the following year when they entered Melodifestivalen and placed fourth with “Night of Passion,” a track that quickly climbed to number two on the Swedish singles chart. That same year the quartet issued their first album, Metal Will Stand Tall, which landed inside the Top Five and yielded two further hits: the title track, another Top Five entry, and “Song for You,” which reached the Top Ten.

The band’s second full-length, Sweet Trade, arrived in 2007 and also performed strongly, peaking inside the Top Ten while producing the Top Five single “Line of Fire,” recorded with E-Type, and the Top Ten follow-up “Seven Seas.” In 2008 they returned to number one with the standalone single “Raise the Banner,” which was added to a fresh edition of Sweet Trade. Their third album, Clash of the Elements, appeared the next year and again reached the Top Five, supported by the singles “One out of Ten” and “I Rule the Night.”