Year : 2014
Style : Melodic Heavy Metal , Melodic Hard Rock
Country : Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 162 mb
Bio:
Axxis is a German hard rock band that was founded in 1988. Their debut album, "Kingdom of the Night", became the best-selling debut album ever by a hard rock band in Germany in 1989.Axxis' musical roots lie within the traditional heavy rock of the 70s and 80s including influences of 90s electronic music. Bernhard's unique vocal style is another characteristic trademark of the band. Axxis' major ambition is "to be a pure Rock n' Roll band".Axxis' musical roots lie within the traditional hard rock of the 70s and 80s, including influences of 90s electronic music. The band was formed in early 80s, with the name Anvil. They released several self-recorded demos under that name, before discovering the Canadian band Anvil who had already released an album internationally,In response to this, the band changed their name to “Axis”. In interview with Battle Helm in 2015, vocalist Bernhard Weiß stated that the new band name must be a small word to get bigger letters on the promotional posters, but he also stated that they chose the name because "the name AXIS sounds a bit like guitar axes, but also meaning wise".They recorded a demo entitled “Tears of the Trees” (Later to appear on the Kingdom of the Night album) in 1988. Which they submitted to EMI records several times, and were eventually signed to EMI Electrola. Due to an EMI subsidiary in Germany also named Axis, the band introduced a second X in their name, becoming “Axxis”. - At this time, the band consisted of vocalist Bernhard Weiß, guitarist Walter Pietsch, bassist Werner Kleinhans and drummer Richard Michaelski.Axxis then released their debut album, Kingdom of the Night in 1989. This album was released in Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia and the USA, and sold 100.000 copies immediately.It became 1989’s best selling debut album by a hard rock band in Germany. Axxis toured to promote the album, opening for such bands as Black Sabbath.In 1990, Axxis released “Axxis II”, which achieved similar success. Keyboard player Harry Oellers was added for the album. The album also contained the single “Touch the Rainbow” and the fan-favourite “Little Look Back” (later to become an anthem in their live shows), and was followed by “Access All Areas” in 1991, the first live album by the band.The band then released The Big Thrill in 1993. Produced by Joey Balin and recorded in Philadelphia, it was the first international production by Axxis. The album became a best seller in 1993. It was promoted by the band in various shows, including in Japan, where acoustic performances by Weiß and Pietsch would later be included in “Profile – The Best of Axxis”, a 1994 Japan-only release.Axxis continued to record in America for their next album “Matters of Survival”, and had Keith Olsen to produce it. Axxis originally wanted Olsen to produce their previous album “The Big Thrill”, but Olsen declined due to time restraints.Weiß later implied that Olsen tried to change the band’s sound from heavy metal to alternative, which was trending at that time. - Matters of Survival was released in 1995, and fans rejected it due to the change in sound. Weiß admitted later this album was “not metal enough”.Axxis continued to play with a modern rock style in their 1996 album, Voodoo Vibes, the last album they recorded under EMI. - Axxis then parted ways with long-time guitarist Walter Pietsch. According to Weiß, Pietsch choose to be a producer, and has since become a well-known producer in Germany.Axxis then signed with Massacre records in 2000 to record the album “Back to the Kingdom”, with a name implying the return to their classic heavy metal sound. The new album was received well among fans, and the followed up in 2000 and 2001 with the compilation album “Collection of Power” and “Eyes of Darkness”.Bernhard Weiß’ unique vocal style is significantly characteristic trademark of the band, and he (along with Oellers) has been Axxis’ most constant member, featuring in the band from 1988 to present. Over time Axxis have adopted an increasing amount of both classic and modern power metal into their sound, this is significantly heard in future albums Time Machine (2004), Paradise in Flames (2006), Doom of Destiny (2007) and Utopia (2009).In the band celebrated their 20th in 2011 anniversary, releasing “20 Years of Axxis” on their publishing company “Phonotraxx”. The anniversary production was an official bootleg live recording released on both CD and DVD, the following year they released the cover album “reDISCOver(ed)”, featuring covers of “Ma Baker”, “Stayin Alive”, “My Heart Will Go On! and many more.In 2014, the band returned to their roots similarly to “Back to the Kingdom” with the release of “Kingdom of the Night II” a double-CD release sequel to their debut album. The double-CDs were released as the hard rock oriented “white” and the heavy metal and power metal oriented “black” versions, respectively, with completely different songs on them, and were both sold separately as well as packaged together in a “Deluxe” edition.Axxis celebrated their 25th anniversary similar to their 20th, with the live release of “25 Years of Rock & Power” in 2015. – 2017 saw the release of “Retrolution”, a heavy metal and hard rock oriented album, taking various throwback elements to the bands which Axxis had listened to over the years. The title implies this, word-playing “retro” with “revolution”.
Album:
Axxis' ''Kingdom of the Night II'' is obviously a sequel to the first part released twenty-five years earlier which was a lackluster commercial hard rock album with overtly annoying keyboards, an uninspired rhythm section and a fluffy production. The idea to go back to the roots isn't new since Axxis had already released a record called ''Back to the Kingdom'' eleven years after the original release. As if the attempt to pick up their nostalgic fans from the early years weren't questionable enough, the band decided to release an ambitious double album. According to the press release, the black edition features the band's heavier material while the white edition focuses on ballads. The limited edition even includes a third disc with two additional tracks for a total running time close to two hours. Is this value for money or just a disaster?It's actually somewhere in between because ''Kingdom of the Night II'' is a quite average affair. On the positive side, the band sounds much better than it did on the first volume twenty-five years earlier. Axxis doesn't sound like a mixture of Bonfire and Scorpions anymore and actually delivers some quite gripping rock songs without overwhelming keyboard passages and sleepy rhythm sections. The production is still a little bit mellow but has a warm and organic twist to it instead of the commercial plastic sound of the late eighties. After a cheesy introduction, the title track pushes forward with progressive rock organ sounds and a vivid rhythm section leading to an enthusiastic chorus. This hard rock tune doesn't reinvent the genre and the lyrics are as stereotypical as it gets but the band sounds honestly motivated and one can really feel its energy here. My favorite song on the first disc is probably ''The War'' because of its tight progressive rock vibe in the verses and a simple but powerful chorus that gets to the point. Axxis has always been closer to hard rock than to heavy metal and actually also includes a ballad on its supposedly dark side of the record. ''More than for One Day'' has a nice melancholic touch and convinces with a soothing chorus. It's a sympathetic and romantic track which is good for what it is.The so-called white version isn't as saccharine as expected and also features a few nice tunes. The bouzouki sounds add a joyful and folk-inspired touch to the positive ''We Are the World''. The soothing ''21 Crosses'' talks about the disaster at the 2010 Love Parade that happened in the group's home region. The difficult topic is treated respectfully since the band finds a balanced mixture between an objective description of the events, some justified social criticism concerning the organisation of the event and and a musical memorial for the tragic victims by listing their names at the end of the emotional song. The best song on the white edition might be the dynamic and uplifting ''Dance Into Life'' that convinces with joyous and elegant symphonic elements that add an epic touch as well as a great melodic guitar solo. Once again, this isn't exactly a ballad like the press release claimed but a truly enjoyable and simple symphonic rock song.The main problem with the album is obviously that both sides have quite a lot of fillers and apart of the songs mentioned, there are many tunes that are average at best and sometimes even quite exchangeable. It would have been a better idea to focus on the best ten or twelve songs and release a really consistent output. Still, if you like melodic hard rock inspired by the stylistics of the eighties, you will like this record. There is no real stinker on it but the album is also missing truly outstanding highlights. It's a nice release for genre fans, nothing more or less.
Line-Up:
Bernhard Weiß - Vocals (1988-present), Guitars (1989-present)
Harry Öllers - Keyboards (1990-present)
Rob Schomaker - Bass (2004-present) - See also: ex-Cyberya, ex-Regicide, ex-Trinity
Marco Wriedt - Guitars (2007-present) - See also: 21 Octayne, ex-Pink Cream 69 (live)
Dirk Brand - Drums (2012-present) - See also: Lee Z
Tracklist:
01. Hall of Fame 03:38
02. Heaven in Paradise 03:54
03. Living in a Dream 04:19
04. 21 Crosses 05:07
05. My Eyes 03:42
06. Dance into Life 04:15
07. Mary Married a Monster (Her Version) 04:05
08. We Are the World 03:18
09. Take Me Far Away 03:16
10. Gone with the Wind 03:18
11. Temple of Rock 04:01
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
