Biography

The Poodles are a Swedish glam metal band that debuted in 2006 to Top Five success with the smash hit single "Night of Passion" and topped the charts a few years later with "Raise the Banner." Founded in 2005 in Stockholm, Sweden, the band is comprised of Jakob Samuel (vocals), Henrik Bergqvist (guitar), Pontus Egberg (bass), and Christian Lundqvist (drums). They rose to fame in 2006 as contestants in that year's Swedish Melodifestivalen song contest, finishing in fourth place with "Night of Passion." The song was a smash hit, going all the way to number two on the Swedish singles chart. The accompanying full-length debut album, Metal Will Stand Tall (2006), also proved highly successful, reaching the Top Five and spawning the follow-up singles "Metal Will Stand Tall," a Top Five hit, and "Song for You," a Top Ten hit. Second album Sweet Trade (2007) was similarly popular, reaching the Top Ten and spawning the Top Five hit "Line of Fire" (a collaboration with E-Type) and the Top Ten hit "Seven Seas." In 2008 the Poodles topped the charts with "Raise the Banner," a one-off single included on a new edition of Sweet Trade released the same year. Third album Clash of the Elements (2009) continued the band's success, reaching the Top Five and spawning the singles "One out of Ten" and "I Rule the Night." ~ Jason Birchmeier