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New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
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The Poodles: Sweet Trade
Melodic Hard Rock/Metal
Rating: 4.5/5.0
www.poodles.se
www.afm-records.de
www.myspace.com/thepoodles
Reviewed by Craig Hartranft
The Poodles debut 'Metal Will Stand Tall' was one of my top ten releases of 2006. They follow up this great release with 'Sweet Trade,' and they continue to pursue excellent melodic hard rock mixed with a sublime dash of metal.
The songs are filled with great melody and fabulous choruses. 'Sweet Trade' begins with a clever number 'Flesh and Bones' that has a mysterious intro which make you wonder what's ahead. And what follows is a tricky melody and a catchy chorus wrapped with an almost pop metal feel recalling the best of 80's melodic rock. When you move onto 'Streets Of Fire' and its heavy rhythm section you know that you are in for some significant musical variety throughout this work. 'Seven Seas' has 'hit single' written all over it. Jakob Samuel excels with dynamic vocals. On both songs, Pontus Norgren really rips it up with some short, but incredible, solos. And this is only the first three songs. Other memorable numbers include 'Thunderball,' a terrific 'balls to the wall' rocker, 'Reach The Sky,' with some subtle Bon Jovi nuances, 'Without You,' a powerful and emotional rocker, and finally, 'Shine,' the only true ballad on the album. It definitely has arena quality sound.
In the end, if you were thrilled and satisfied with 'Metal Will Stand Tall,' then you will love 'Sweet Trade.' Essentially, it's more of the same, and that is a very good thing. The Poodles extend their tireless consistency for melodic rock and metal with 'Sweet Trade.' This is a definite must buy!
In Short
In the end, if you were thrilled and satisfied with 'Metal Will Stand Tall,' then you will love 'Sweet Trade.' Essentially, it's more of the same, and that is a very good thing. The Poodles extend their tireless consistency for melodic rock and metal with 'Sweet Trade.'
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