The Poodles : Performocracy
by Mark Allen
Staff Writer
With a trio of high-quality studio albums under their belt—or would that be collar?–The Poodles have proven that they are anything but a broke dick dog when it comes to the hard rock game. The title of their fourth effort, Performacracy, means “to rule by performance,” and you can expect this release to rightfully rule many critics’ 2011 Top Ten lists at the end of the year.
These Swedes, quite simply, have never sounded better. They have jettisoned the neo-glam trappings of their earlier output until all that remains is a fully-evolved melodic hard rock band that can justify calling itself one of the best in the business right now. Nearly every song on Performacracy seems crafted with commercial magic, structured on a good foundation, but then juiced up with that little something extra that makes a good song transcend into a great one. Sure, with 13 tracks, it is nearly impossible to avoid including a couple that lean a little heavily on formula, but those tracks are surrounded and overpowered by the plethora of hook-drenched anthems that adorn this album. If you don’t experience a sonic orgasm in your cochlea the first time you hear the heavy harmonies of “Until Our Kingdom Falls,” the soaring chorus of “Father to a Son,” or the sweet melody of “Cuts Like a Knife,” then you deserve to have your credibility as a melodic hard rock fan called into serious question.
This album has a rich, full, heavy dynamic to its sound. Not heavy in a metal way—this is The Poodles, not Pantera—but there are definitely some hard rocking riffs on here and the pristine production perfectly puts them in their proper place in the mix. The engineering is as sleek and flawless as the inner thigh of a Swedish centerfold, allowing Henrik Bergqvist’s sizzling guitars to dominate while subtle keyboard accents dot the musical landscape. Beefy bass and drums form a solid backbone and the backing vocals are stacked in multiple bigger-is-better layers.
Had he not already been running with The Poodles, lead vocalist Jakob Samuel would have made an excellent replacement for Steve Lee in Gotthard following his tragic and untimely death, as they share a similar style. On Peformacracy, he sounds absolutely killer, a professional singer in total control of his voice, every inflection, every nuance, delivered with surgical precision. Sometimes he sings high, sometimes he sings low, most of the time he opts for a middle-of-the-road range, but regardless of which note he is belting out, he sounds damn good doing it.
If there is a single adjective that can accurately summarize this album, it is “catchy.” Every song is designed to deliver a delicious hook, every chorus seeks to stick in your cerebellum with just one spin, and this catchiness is concocted without resorting to soulless pop trickery; despite the accessible hooks, these songs rock hard. This is not always an easy thing to accomplish in the world of heavy music, but The Poodles have nailed it with aplomb and will have many listeners pondering if there is a limit to the depths of their talent.
Bottom line, this is a prime example of pure melodic hard rock done right. If you liked the band before, you will love them now. If their previous albums had you straddling apathy’s fence, you owe it to them—and yourself—to give them another go. This is a top tier melodic hard rock album that may very well become the band’s magnum opus and for any fan of the genre to disregard it would be a mistake. Because The Poodles have not only got what it takes to run with the big dogs, they have what it takes to the lead the pack, and anyone who says different is barking up the wrong tree.
Genre: Melodic hard rock
Band:
Jakob Samuel (vocals)
Henrik Bergqvist (guitars)
Pontus Egberg (bass)
Christian Lundqvist (drums)
Track Listing:
1. I Want It All
2. Until Our Kingdom Falls
3. Father to a Son
4. I Believe in You
5. Cuts Like a Knife
6. As Time Is Passing
7. Love Is All
8. Your Time Is Now
9. Action!
10. Bring Back the Night
11. Vampire’s Call
12. Into the Quiet Night
13. Don’t Tell Me (bonus track)
Label: Frontiers Records
Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10