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
The Four Horsemen
Axxis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
first seal,
I saw, I saw the first Horse.
The Horseman held a bow
Now when the lamb opened the
second seal,
I saw, I saw the second Horse
The Horseman held his sword
The leading horse is white
The second horse is red
The third one is a black,
The last one is a green
The leading horse is white
The second horse is red
The third one is a black,
The last one is a green
And when the lamb opened the third seal,
I saw, I saw the third Horse.
The Horseman had a balance
Now when the lamb opened the fourth seal,
I saw the fourth Horse.
The Horseman was the Pest
The leading horse is white
The second horse is red
The third one is a black,
The last one is a green
The leading horse is white
The second horse is red
The third one is a black,
The last one is a green
The leading horse is white
The second horse is red
The third one is a black,
The last one is a green
The leading horse is white
The second horse is red
The third one is a black,
The last one is a green...
The lyrics to the Axxis song "The Four Horsemen" describe a scene from the Biblical book of Revelation, specifically the opening of the first four seals that release the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Each horseman is described with a different color of horse and a different weapon or symbol of their purpose. The first horseman is holding a bow, the second a sword, the third a balance or scale, and the fourth is known as "the Pest." The color and weapon are significant in conveying the power and intent of each horseman.
The repeated refrain of "the leading horse is white, the second horse is red, the third one is black, the last one is green" emphasizes the order and progression of the horsemen's arrival. The song's instrumentation and vocals intensify as each horseman is introduced, building tension and emphasizing the impending doom that is to come.
Line by Line Meaning
And when the lamb opened the
first seal,
At the opening of the first seal by the lamb,
I saw, I saw the first Horse.
I witnessed the emergence of the first Horse.
The Horseman held a bow
The rider of the Horse wielded a bow.
Now when the lamb opened the
second seal,
Subsequently, at the opening of the second seal by the lamb,
I saw, I saw the second Horse
I witnessed the arrival of the second Horse.
The Horseman held his sword
The rider of the Horse possessed a sword.
The leading horse is white
The second horse is red
The third one is a black,
The last one is a green
The first Horse was white, the second was red, the third was black, and the fourth was green.
And when the lamb opened the third seal,
Further on, at the opening of the third seal by the lamb,
I saw, I saw the third Horse.
I witnessed the appearance of the third Horse.
The Horseman had a balance
The rider of the Horse held a balance.
Now when the lamb opened the fourth seal,
Finally, at the opening of the fourth seal by the lamb,
I saw the fourth Horse.
I beheld the fourth Horse.
The Horseman was the Pest
The rider of the Horse was the embodiment of pestilence.
The leading horse is white
The second horse is red
The third one is a black,
The last one is a green
Reiterating that the first Horse was white, the second was red, the third was black, and the fourth was green.
The leading horse is white
The second horse is red
The third one is a black,
The last one is a green
Stating again that the first Horse was white, the second was red, the third was black, and the fourth was green.
The leading horse is white
The second horse is red
The third one is a black,
The last one is a green
Affirming yet again that the first Horse was white, the second was red, the third was black, and the fourth was green.
The leading horse is white
The second horse is red
The third one is a black,
The last one is a green
Once again confirming that the first Horse was white, the second was red, the third was black, and the fourth was green.
Contributed by Aaliyah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.