Frontiers Records 2013
Rating: RRRR
Review By: Alan Holloway
So it’s album number five for Sweden’s most ironically named export, and it’s nice to see that seven years after telling is that “Metal Will Stand Tall” their brand of metal is indeed standing tall. For those not in the know, The Poodles play, essentially, poodle rock. Along with the likes of Norway’s Wig Wam, The Poodles like to play for pure enjoyment, throwing reasonably basic party rock anthems at you, full of riffs and melodies. Hey - someone’s got to do it.
If you’ve ever owned a Poodles album before, “Tour De Force” will not bring many, or any, surprises to the table. What you’re looking for is am album that is strong enough to carry the Poodles name, and this certainly does the job admirably. They certainly set the scene well with album opener “Misery Loves Company”, which is a really big balled barnstormer, followed by the tongue in cheek and very catchy “Shut Up”. Even when they slow it down a bit, there’s still a lot to like, and as a bonus we also get the Swedish Ice Hockey team’s official song “En For Alla For En”, which is, I think, the band’s first Swedish language song! Good track, though, and something any player should be proud to skate out to.
All in all, “Tour De Force” sounds great. It’s got a great mix, well written songs and plenty of crunch where it’s needed. The Poodles may not be trying anything particularly new, but they certainly make good heavy rock/pop.glam noises, and that’s all that matters.
Official Website: http://www.poodles.se/
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