''Utopia'', released in 2009, is the twelfth full-length
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by the German
power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
band
Axxis
Axxis is a German heavy metal band that was founded in 1988. Their debut album, ''Kingdom of the Night'', became the best-selling debut album by a hard rock band in Germany in 1989.
Biography
Axxis' musical roots lie within the traditional h ...
.
Critical reception
"Twenty years in the business is a long time for any band, especially for the one that awkwardly straddles two genres. Axxis play soft focus
power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
that edges on the
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
, the massive use of keyboards and Bernhardt Weiss' clean, high-pitched tones being particularly redolent of the latter," writes ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
''. "''Utopia'' may well be the clearest and most accessible distillation of what Axxis do," opines reviewer Steve Beebee, giving the album 3 out of 5Ks rating.
Track listing
#"Journey to Utopia" – 1:39
#"Utopia" – 3:59
#"Last Man on Earth" – 4:51
#"Fass Mich An" – 5:10
#"Sarah Wanna Die" – 5:54
#"My Father's Eyes" – 4:40
#"The Monsters Crawl" – 4:44
#"Eyes of a Child" – 4:32
#"Heavy Rain" – 4:32
#"For You I Will Die" – 5:30
#"Underworld" – 3:56
Bonus Tracks
#"Taste My Blood"
#"20 Years Anniversary Song"
References
2009 albums
Axxis albums
AFM Records albums
{{2000s-power-metal-album-stub