Michael Poulsen
| Michael Schøn-Poulsen | |
|---|---|
 Michael Poulsen at Roskilde Festival 2009. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Poulsen |
| Born | April 1, 1975 |
| Genres | Heavy metal, groove metal, psychobilly, gothabilly, death metal, death rock |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Associated acts | Volbeat, Dominus |
| Notable instruments | |
| Gibson SG | |
Michael Poulsen (born April 1, 1975) is a Danish vocalist and guitarist. He is currently the singer and main songwriter of the band Volbeat. He is also responsible for all of the band's lyrics. He is a low tenor/high baritone, with a special sound. Even though he sings very high, he sounds much darker than he really is, much because of his special singing technique. It is very obvious that he is influenced by Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley in both songwriting style and vocal style, and you can hear him going high (falsetto) in the end of some phrases, like you can hear very clear in the intro of the song "Still Counting", which is very "Elvis-like". It has often been debated if his voice fits the band's style, much because his extraordinary voice which is very anti-stereotypical compared to the "standard" metal-voice.
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[edit] Biography
Michael Poulsen grew up in Ringsted, Denmark which is about a 40 miles (63 kilometers) from Copenhagen in a working class family. He has a twin sister and two younger sisters who are also twins. His parents were big fans of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Chuck Berry. As a teenager, he got in touch with metal music like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Iced Earth and Black Sabbath.[1] At the age of 17, he moved to Copenhagen and formed his first band Dominus. Poulsen stated a major influence during this period was Chuck Schuldiner and his band Death.
Dominus released four records between 1994 and 2000. The band split-up a year later as Poulsen was fed up with death metal music and the death metal scene.[2] He wrote new songs with a more rock'n'roll approach and established Volbeat. After releasing two demos, their debut album The Strength / The Sound / The Songs reached number 18 in the Danish charts and became the first album of a Danish metal band in 20 years to enter the top 20.[3] On 22 April 2006, Poulsen performed with some of Elvis Presley's studio musicians in Copenhagen.[4] Volbeat's sophomore record Rock the Rebel / Metal the Devil and their third effort Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood went straight to number 1 in the Danish charts.[3][5]
Poulsen later showed his affinity towards Social Distortion, and taking queues from a "new influence" created Volbeat's distinct sound.
March 2010 Poulsen was married at Graceland, Memphis, to his wife Lina.[6]
In 2012, Poulsen is doing a liner note for the Relapse Records reissue of Death's 1989 album Spiritual Healing, which he considers one of his favorite albums.
[edit] Musical equipment
Poulsen primarily plays Gibson SG guitars, early on he used a Toni Iommi signature model but has lately switched to a GT-model equipped with Seymour Duncan pickups. Occasionally an ESP Ltd and Gibson Les Paul Goldtop is also used. Poulsen plays his guitars through an Ibanez Tube Screamer, a noise suppressor, a vintage equalizer and a maximizer pedal. For amplification Poulsen uses a Marshall JCM800 2210 model.[7]
[edit] Awards
In 2006, Poulsen was nominated in the categories Singer of the year and Composer of the year at the annual Steppeulven awards.[8] Two years later, he was nominated in the category Best singer at the Danish Music Awards.[9]
[edit] Discography
[edit] with Dominus
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[edit] with Volbeat |
[edit] References
- ^ Schiffbauer, Conny. "Im Schwatzkasten mit Michael Poulsen (Volbeat)" (in German). Rock Hard 257 (October 2008): 18. ISSN 1437-8140.
- ^ Metalgreg. "Volbeat" (in German). Metal.de. http://www.metal.de/stories.php4?was=story&id=542. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
- ^ a b "VOLBEAT: 'Rock The Rebel / Metal The Devil' Tops Danish Album Chart". Blabbermouth. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=68050. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
- ^ "VOLBEAT Frontman Performs With ELVIS PRESLEY's Backing Musicians: Photos Available". Blabbermouth. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=51462. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
- ^ "VOLBEAT: 'Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood' First-Week Chart Positions Revealed". Blabber]. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=104675. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
- ^ http://www.elvisunlimited.com/news.asp?news_id=2467&page_id=79
- ^ Janne Stark Volbeat - Michael Poulsen fuzz.se Retrieved: 2009-07-09
- ^ "...og de nominerede 2006 er:" (in Danish). steppeulv.dk. http://www.steppeulv.dk/nominering2006.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
- ^ "VOLBEAT Nominated In Four Categories At DANISH MUSIC AWARDS". Blabbermouth.net. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=89050. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
[edit] External links
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