Matters of Survival

Matters of Survival is a fulfilling fourth album on which Axxis presented widely open choruses and sharp guitar with a more arranged, refined sound. This work, after a making experience in Los Angeles, is characterized by its open, polished sound. Bernhard Weiss’s distinctive, expressive singing powerfully draws out both the songs’ brightness and a sure tension at once. A record where a more polished production shines. From the powerful drive of the opener “Ecstasy” and the aggression of “Idolator” to a cut like “C’est la Vie,” every song is engaging, while cuts like “On My Own” and “All My Life” convey the work’s fullness. While having a polished openness evoking the making in America, the songs’ sure core lies purely in European melodic rock. A record on which, while heading toward a more refined production, Axxis’s own melodic strength and catchiness are not lost in the least. You can fully enjoy the sure strength of its hooks head-on. A powerful, engaging record showing the fullness of the mid-1990s — a record where the band’s refinement shines.