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
Keep Flying
Axxis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you don't want my dreams
I realize our feelings fade away
I want to be so close to you
But we are worlds apart
How could we heal our love and our broken hearts
Keep flying, come on baby keep on flying
Why... Why I can't stop loving you
Keep flying high
Our love is like a bird
Flying through rain and storm
Drifting with the wind up to the sky
A new hope, a new horizon
Shining like the sun
Maybe our love has just begun
Why... Why I can't stop loving you
Keep flying, come on baby keep on flying
Keep flying high
Why... Why I can't stop loving you
Keep on flying un to the sky
The lyrics to Axxis's song "Keep Flying" tell a story of a relationship that is struggling to survive. The singer wants to build a world for their loved one, but their dreams are not shared. They realize that their feelings are starting to fade away and they are slowly drifting apart. The singer expresses their desire to be close to their loved one but acknowledges that they are worlds apart. They are left wondering how they can heal their love and their broken hearts.
Despite the challenges in their relationship, the singer encourages their loved one to keep flying. The metaphor of our love being like a bird flying through rain and storm, drifting with the wind up to the sky, is used to express that even though the relationship may face difficulty, it is important to keep going, to keep flying high. The singer sees a new hope and a new horizon, a chance for their love to start anew under the shining light of the sun.
The singer is left wondering why they can't stop loving their partner, yet they encourage them to keep flying high even when times are tough. The overall message of the song is one of hope, that despite the challenges faced in relationships, it's important to keep flying high and never lose hope.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to built a world for you
I want to create a perfect environment for you to live in
But you don't want my dreams
But you don't share the same desires and aspirations as me
I realize our feelings fade away
I acknowledge that our emotions are diminishing
I want to be so close to you
I want to be intimately connected with you
But we are worlds apart
But we have drastically different perspectives and lifestyles
How could we heal our love and our broken hearts
How can we repair our deteriorating relationship and emotional pain
Our love is like a bird
Our relationship can be compared to a bird
Flying through rain and storm
Enduring challenging obstacles and adversity
Drifting with the wind up to the sky
Surrendering to the momentum of our love as it reaches new heights
A new hope, a new horizon
The potential for a brighter future and fresh opportunities
Shining like the sun
Radiating brilliance and positivity
Maybe our love has just begun
Perhaps our romance is just starting to blossom
Why... Why I can't stop loving you
Expressing frustration and confusion over persistent romantic feelings
Keep flying, come on baby keep on flying
Persist in pursuing love and happiness despite challenges
Keep flying high
Keep reaching for greater heights of emotional fulfillment and completeness
Keep on flying un to the sky
Continue ascending towards the ideal state of love and happiness
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind