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
Sea Of Love
Axxis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the colors are shining
I take a breath and I feel this place
Far away from time and space
I will dive in the sea of love
Touching the bottom of an endless ocean
Dive, dive, dive
Ride on the waves of love and emotion
Dive in the sea of my love
Like a leave in the wind I fly
See me drifting, see me dreaming
And I know I can touch the sky
Like a bird I spread my wings
I will dive in the sea of love
Touching the bottom of an endless ocean
Dive, dive, dive
I will dive in the sea of love
Ride on the waves of love and emotion
Dive in the sea of my love
In the sea of my love where the water is the sky
I want to dive and I feel like I can fly
Want to be with you in the ocean of our love
Gimme a sign and we're flying high above
I will dive in the sea of love
Touching the bottom of an endless ocean
Dive, dive, dive
I will dive in the sea of love
Ride on the waves of love and emotion
Dive in the sea of my love
The lyrics to Axxis’s “Sea of Love” are a beautiful depiction of finding solace and escape in the depths of love. The singer describes a dream-like scene with a sea of flowers where colors are shining, and the air is filled with emotions that transport him to a place far away from time and space. The singer takes a breath and dives into the sea of love where he touches the bottom of an endless ocean, then rises and falls on the waves of love and emotion. The lyrics are a description of the depth of love and the beauty of two people sharing emotions on a seemingly infinite plane.
The lyrics suggest that love is an endless journey of discovery, where the complexities of life are replaced with the ease of a flowing ocean. It talks about the freedom that love provides, where the singer compares himself to a leave in the wind, drifting and dreaming. He speaks of being able to touch the sky like a bird who spreads his wings, and in the end, he finds himself in the ocean of the love immersed in the euphoria of being with his love.
In conclusion, Axxis's "Sea of Love" tells the story of the depth and beauty of love. It illustrates that love is a never-ending journey where the complexities of life are replaced with the ease of a flowing ocean, and people can find solace and escape.
Line by Line Meaning
Sea of flowers in my dream
In my dream, I am surrounded by a beautiful sea of colorful flowers
All the colors are shining
The colors of the flowers are bright and dazzling
I take a breath and I feel this place
As I inhale, I sense the tranquility of this place
Far away from time and space
This place is not bound by the limitations of time and space
I will dive in the sea of love
I am determined to experience the depths of love
Touching the bottom of an endless ocean
I want to reach the very depths of love that seem to have no end
Dive, dive, dive
I am ready to dive into this sea of love without hesitation
Ride on the waves of love and emotion
I want to experience the highs and lows of love and its intense emotions
Dive in the sea of my love
I want to immerse myself in my own feelings of love
Like a leave in the wind I fly
I feel free and light like a leaf being carried by the wind
See me drifting, see me dreaming
I am in a state of drifting and dreaming
And I know I can touch the sky
I feel that I can attain anything I aspire to
Like a bird I spread my wings
I feel liberated and eager to soar like a bird
In the sea of my love where the water is the sky
In my deep feelings of love, it feels like the water and sky have become one
I want to dive and I feel like I can fly
I want to fully immerse myself in love and feel buoyant like I'm flying
Want to be with you in the ocean of our love
I want to be with my lover and experience the many depths of love together
Gimme a sign and we're flying high above
If my lover gives me a sign, then we can experience the highest levels of love together
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BERNHARD WEISS, HARALD OELLERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind