Background
Poulsen grew up in Ringsted, Denmark which is about a 40 miles (63 kilometers) from Copenhagen in a working-class family.
Poulsen grew up in Ringsted, Denmark which is about a 40 miles (63 kilometers) from Copenhagen in a working-class family.
He is currently the singer and main songwriter of the band Volbeat. He has a twin sister and two older sisters, who are also twins. As a teenager, he got in touch with metal music like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Iced Earth and Black Sabbath.
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 federal up with death metal music and the death metal scene. 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.
On 22 April 2006, Poulsen performed with some of Elvis Presley"s studio musicians in Copenhagen. 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. Poulsen later showed his affinity towards Social Distortion, and taking cues from a "new influence" created Volbeat"s distinct sound.
In 2012, Poulsen is doing a liner note for the Relapse Records reissue of Death"s 1990 album Spiritual Healing, which he considers one of his favorite albums.
In 2014 Poulsen did a verse in Highwayman, an Iced Earth song in the album Plagues of Babylon. Poulsen primarily plays Gibson SG guitars, first a Tony Iommi signature model but later a GT-model with Seymour Duncan pickups, through a Marshall JCM800 2210 model.
He sometimes plays an Education Support Professionals and a Gibson Les Paul Goldtop. Effects use are an Ibanez Tube Screamer, a noise suppressor, a vintage equalizer and a maximizer pedal.