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
Wonderland
Axxis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A land of dreams - how could we find the way
Oh, just this hope let us survive
To bide the days - to get through this live
Come and take my hand
And You will understand
That I promise you the never-never land
Get out, get out... get over to the wonderworld
Get out, get out and take my invitation
I don't belive you will find a better world
I want to be the one who takes you to the sun
To feel the happiness - we need to be sad
To know what's good - we have to feel bad
The balance of our life is strong
We're living in between what's right and wrong
Come and take my hand
Searching till the end
And I'll promise you the never-never land
Get out, get out... get over to the wonderworld
Get out, get out and take my invitation
I don't belive you will find a better world
I want to be the one who takes you to the sun
Why don't you take my - my invitation?
Why don't you want to get out, get out...?
Get out, get out... get over to the wonderworld
Get out, get out and take my invitation
I don't belive you will find a better world
I want to be the one who takes you to the sun
The lyrics to Axxis's song "Wonderland" speak to the human desire to escape reality and enter into a dream world, a never-never land. The song presents the idea that the only way to truly appreciate happiness is to know sadness, and that in order to understand what is right, we must also experience what is wrong. The lyrics suggest that the balance of our lives lies somewhere in between these two extremes. The song encourages listeners to take the singer's hand and join him in this wonderworld, which he promises is a better world, a world full of happiness and sunshine.
The lyrics of "Wonderland" are poignant and thought-provoking, resonating with anyone who has ever felt the desire to escape reality and enter into a dream world. The song's message is one of hope and optimism, urging listeners to take risks and embrace the unknown. The song's catchy melody and upbeat tempo add to its appeal, making it a popular song among fans of Axxis's music.
Line by Line Meaning
A wonderworld so far away
This is referring to a distant and magical world.
A land of dreams - how could we find the way
The land of dreams is elusive and difficult to reach.
Oh, just this hope let us survive
Hope is the only thing keeping us going when life is tough.
To bide the days - to get through this live
We just have to endure the difficult times until something better comes along.
Come and take my hand
The artist is offering to guide someone to the wonderland.
And You will understand
The person being guided will come to comprehend the magic of the wonderland.
That I promise you the never-never land
The singer guarantees an enchanted place, the never-never land.
Get out, get out... get over to the wonderworld
The artist is urging someone to leave their mundane life and explore the wonderland.
Get out, get out and take my invitation
The invitation to explore the wonderland is extended and encouraged.
I don't belive you will find a better world
The wonderland is the ultimate paradise; there is no place better.
I want to be the one who takes you to the sun
The singer desires to be the reason someone experiences the wonderland's beauty and radiance.
To feel the happiness - we need to be sad
To fully comprehend joy, we must first endure sadness.
To know what's good - we have to feel bad
Knowing and appreciating what is good requires experiencing what is bad.
The balance of our life is strong
Life's equilibrium is robust.
We're living in between what's right and wrong
We exist in a gray area between what is ethical and what is not.
Come and take my hand
The invitation to the wonderworld is extended once again.
Searching till the end
The journey to find the wonderland extends to the end.
And I'll promise you the never-never land
The same assurance of the magical never-never land is given once more.
Why don't you take my - my invitation?
The singer is confused why the invitation to the wonderland has not been accepted.
Why don't you want to get out, get out...?
Further questioning why someone would not want to experience the beauty of the wonderland.
Get out, get out... get over to the wonderworld
The final plea to leave the mundane world behind and discover the magic of the wonderland.
Get out, get out and take my invitation
The same invitation to explore the wonderland is given one last time.
I don't belive you will find a better world
Once again emphasizing that the wonderland is the ultimate paradise.
I want to be the one who takes you to the sun
The desire to be the person who introduces someone to the wonderland is repeated.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind