This album was a big turning point in the career of this five-piece band. Produced by Joey Balin and recorded in Philadelphia, it was the first international production by AXXIS.
In the following years AXXIS had traveled thousands of miles. One if the most impressive destinations was Japan, where Bernhard Weiss and guitarist Walter Pietsch performed a couple of acoustic live shows due to the release of the Japanese only CD "Profile". The band became known worldwide!
The album "Matters Of Survival" was produced in Los Angeles in 1995, the city of angels which is uncritically praised as a Metal capitol by some, a city where glamor, violence and homelessness live together very closely. An impression, which was responsible for the choice of the album title.
With Keith Olsen (FLEETWOOD MAC, WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER, SCORPIONS) the band had a producer who had already worked in the biz since 25 years. Olsen had visited the band in Germany first and both together chose the 12 best songs from the original 30 demo tracks and committed the arrangements. Afterwords they flew over to Los Angeles where Olsen is running his Goodnight L.A.-Studio.
AXXIS especially see themselves as a live band. At a perfect gig, as Bernhard Weiss once said, the own hands have to glow. "It is the best possibility to play your music", says Weiss, "already alone because of the chance of getting so close to your fans." So, the performances at "Rock am Ring" in front of 30 000 spectators were for sure important highlights of the years 1994 and 1996!
To keep on moving into new directions was a principle which this Hard Rock band from the "Ruhrgebiet" had always followed. If you have a look on “Kingdom Of The Night” (`89), “Axxis II” (`91), “The Big Thrill “(`93), “Matters Of Survival” (`95) or “Voodoo Vibes” (97), the latest album by the band, they had always avoided to repeat themselves.
AXXIS do, of course, have their basic sound, their roots are lying within the traditional Heavy Rock of the 70's and 80's, they have found their very own style which is orientated on hooks like "Living In A World". This song is still regarded as a hymn at every show and, as Walter says, the best example for a typical AXXIS song. Bernard's unique vocal style is another characteristic trademark, which makes AXXIS' sound unique. But the cover on these basics is very different anytime. The permanent move can be found within the details.
AXXIS' major ambition is, as Walter adds, "to be a pure Rock 'n' Roll band", and to wash away any doubt, “Voodoo Vibes” became the most Rockin' album since the very early days. The heavy guitars remind the listener a lot on the intensive “Punch” of the debut album.
The production this time was done by the band itself for the very first time. After those great lessons in the US by highly skilled producers, AXXIS felt strong enough to handle the complex studio technics alone and to take over the responsibility for it themselves. "The idea for this was invented by our label", says Harry. "We had already produced our demos for a long time before. And as we presented our new demo tapes to our A&R manager, he was not only convinced by the quality of our new material but of the sound of this supposedly rehearsal room recordings as well. He told us to put it on the album as it was. But the songs and especially the vocals weren't completed yet at the time and that was the reason why the idea came up to let us mix it up ourselves. Because of our demos our label gained a lot of confidence in our abilities to produce an album."
Confidence which was confirmed. “Voodoo Vibes”, produced by Bemhard, Walter and Harry with the help of co-producer and engineer Thomas Kemper at Dierks Studios in the outskirts of Cologne, offers a straight and powerful sound from the beginning to the end which couldn't had been done better by an American star producer. The fact that those complete recordings were finished after only 18 days in the studio is a proof for the band's reliability, who according to Walter, "had a little fear to do the job right in the beginning. The band had to deal with new aspects like being responsible for a recording budget and to be judged for anything that might have gone wrong. But finally everything worked perfectly" and it worked so well that AXXIS would like to repeat it again when starting to record the next album. This self-determination will not be missed in the future anymore...
Current Line-Up:
Bernhard Weiß – Vocal
Harry Oellers – Keys
Marco Wriedt – Guitar
Rob Schomaker – Bass
André Hilgers - Drums
Previous members:
Kosta Zafiriou – Drums (on “Time Machine“)
Richard Michalski – Drums (on “Kingdom Of The Night”, “Axxis II”, “Access All Areas”, “The Big Thrill”, “Profile-The Best of Axxis”, “Matters of Survival”, “Voodoo Vibes”, “Sarajevo Exklusiv”, “Back To The Kingdom“, “Collection Of Power” & “Eyes Of Darkness”)
Walter Pietsch – Guitars (on “Kingdom Of The Night”, “Axxis II”, “Access All Areas”, “The Big Thrill”, “Profile-The Best of Axxis”, “Matters of Survival”, “Voodoo Vibes” & “Sarajevo Exklusiv”)
Markus Gfeller – Bass (on “The Big Thrill”, “Profile-The Best of Axxis”, “Matters of Survival”, “Voodoo Vibes” & “Sarajevo Exklusiv”)
Werner Kleinhans – Bass (on “Kingdom Of The Night”, “Axxis II” & “Access All Areas”)
The official site:
http://www.axxis.de
History (english):
http://www.axxis.de/eng_history.html
Heavy Rain
Axxis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gotta get away, we get no chance we could not stay
Even if, we beg or pray, clouds fading black and grey
The light is gone, no sun to guide, the shadows spreading out (gotta get away)
The rain will come again!
In the heavy rain and thunderstorm
The devil's flood has just begun
Walking through this dying land
Heavy rain and thunderstorm
There's no god, we're all alone
You and I will get no chance
We all burned the candle at both ends.
The heaven's darkened by the rain, see the suffering, the drowning pain
See the madness of this world
I really don't know why, we've had the chance to change our course
But what we've done, what we've enforced, is striking back, with wind and rain
But you and I, don't wanna die, though, bearing misery
Nothing can turn back the time now we see!
In the heavy rain and thunderstorm
The devil's flood has just begun
Walking through this dying land
The rain is under his command
Heavy rain and thunderstorm
There's no god, we're all alone
If only god could hear us pray, give us one more day
And I pray down, on my knees, oh heaven...hear us cry
Will the flood, of your tears ever passing by?
Oh, tell me why?
A dying land dead frozen eyes
A deafening silence, no one cries
Shadows dance without a shape
Creeping through my mind, tonight!
In the heavy rain and thunderstorm
The devil's flood has just begun
Walking through this dying land
The rain is under his command
Heavy rain and thunderstorm
There's no god we're all alone
You and I will get no chance
Let the rain come down forever
Let the rain fall down forever, now.
The lyrics to Axxis's song "Heavy Rain" speak about the impending doom that is brought about by a heavy rain and thunderstorm which is under the command of the devil. The black horizon in the sky and the heavy clouds foreshadow the suffering and pain that is to come. The song presents a sense of hopelessness and desperation as the singer tries to make sense of why this tragedy has befallen them. The lyrics suggest that the suffering and destruction is a result of humanity's own doing, and that there is no God to come to their aid. In the end, the singer realizes that there is no chance of making things right, and that they must accept their fate and let the rain fall forever.
Line by Line Meaning
The black horizon in the sky, heavy clouds are gliding high, feel the silence in the dark
The sky is dark and gloomy with thick clouds, creating an eerie silence in the surroundings.
I gotta get away, we get no chance we could not stay, Even if, we beg or pray, clouds fading black and grey
The singer is desperately trying to escape from the impending storm as there is no chance of staying safe, even if they beg or pray. The once dark clouds are starting to fade and lose their intensity.
The light is gone, no sun to guide, the shadows spreading out (gotta get away), The rain will come again!
The sunlight has disappeared, leaving no source of guidance, and the shadows are expanding. The singer is anticipating the return of the heavy rain.
The devil's flood has just begun, Walking through this dying land, The rain is under his command
The storm is described as the devil's flood, and it has started to wreak havoc on the already-dying land. The singer believes that the rain is under the devil's control.
There's no god, we're all alone, You and I will get no chance, We all burned the candle at both ends.
The singer declares that there is no god to save them, and they are alone in their struggle. They are resigned to their fate, believing that they have exhausted all possible solutions.
The heaven's darkened by the rain, see the suffering, the drowning pain, See the madness of this world
The singer comments that the rain has made the sky dark, and people are suffering and in pain. They see the madness that has consumed the world.
But you and I, don't wanna die, though, bearing misery, Nothing can turn back the time now we see!
Despite being in misery, the singer believes that they are not ready to die. They understand that there is no going back to change the course of actions leading up to this moment.
If only god could hear us pray, give us one more day, And I pray down, on my knees, oh heaven...hear us cry, Will the flood, of your tears ever passing by?, Oh, tell me why?
The singer wishes that god could hear their prayer to give them one more chance. They plead on their knees for heaven to take note of their cries. They question if there will ever be an end to the flood of tears that is being shed.
A dying land dead frozen eyes, A deafening silence, no one cries, Shadows dance without a shape, Creeping through my mind, tonight!
The singer describes the land as dying, with people's eyes frozen in despair. There is a deafening silence around them, with no one crying. The shadows have no distinct form, and the singer can feel them creeping into their mind.
Let the rain come down forever, Let the rain fall down forever, now.
The singer gives up hope and wishes for the rain to fall forever, with no end in sight.
Contributed by Jordyn H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.