With their debut CD "God Has Failed" in September 2000, RPWL was greeted on all sides with great enthusiasm. Praise and excellent reviews in all the important magazines. A hugely successful tour through half of Europe and appearances at many of the major festivals. In addition, RPWL has become an appreciated part of the Progressive/Symphonic rock scene. In 2000, some of the most important and influential Scene magazines graded the band on the world-wide popularity scale under the TOP 3!
In spring 2002, RPWL released their second album "Trying to Kiss The Sun". What began in 1997 as a Pink Floyd cover band, named Violet District, has in the meantime developed into an effective band in its own right. The music is still typically "RPWL" and without question, belongs to the symphonic rock scene. With a well-thought out collage of sound and tone, haunting melodies and poetic texts that get under the skin and are not easily forgotten, together with a Brit-pop rock mood - RPWL has made significant steps towards their own style of music with this second album. Whether enjoyed live or on CD, the songs sometimes sound a little raw but in that they have a very sensitive and personal tone, are not only a pleasure to listen to but at times can raise the hair on your head!
Backed-up by a unique Quadrophonic-System, every concert becomes a very special experience! There were numerous opportunities to experience RPWL live at stage: The Band went on tour through out Germany and half of Europe.
Meanwhile RPWL has won their fans' favour world-wide. So it's not surprising that, in July 2002, "Trying to kiss the sun" was released in the USA as well. In December 2001 the Brazilian people have already released the "God Has Failed" album.
Motivated by their latest success the band has released a very special album (in Germany and in the USA): "STOCK - A collection of previously unreleased material". Additionally for all hi-fi fans they have mixed the "STOCK" songs in the most modern way of listening to music: 5.1 Surround-Sound. Obviously it has suggested itself to transmit the Quadrophonic-Sound from concert stage to the people's familiar living-room. So the "STOCK" album is published as a digi-pack with one conventional CD and one DVD with the surround mix (Dolby/DTS) plus a tour- and history-video of RPWL. The release of "STOCK" was on 10th February 2003 (Europe and USA). The press has payed a great tribute to this album therefore the following tour through Europe, started on 13th March 2003, has been entirely successful. In 2003, as a very honour to RPWL, they had got the chance to support the very popular band Toto at the "Tollwood-Festival" in Munich.
In November 2003, for the very first time, the band gave a concert in Great Britain (Rotherham) and in April 2004 they travelled to the USA in order to play as headliner at the "Rites Of Spring"-Festival in Phoenixville/Philadelphia. In August they played for the very first time in Spain.
In 2005 the band released the album "World Through My Eyes", also available as special-edition Hybrid-SACD 5.1 mix. One track on it ("Roses") features the impressive voice of ex-Genesis/ex-Stiltskin-singer Ray Wilson on lead-vocals.
Later that year, the band released their 1st live album "Live: Start The Fire", known to fans of the group as just "Start The Fire". The double disc album contains the whole of the band's Rockplast concert, again featuring Ray Wilson on lead vocals for Roses and one other track this time, Not About Us. Ray recorded this song with Genesis in 1997 for the Calling all Stations album. This was a way for the band to pay tribute to the other main band that has influenced them greatly, Genesis.
On 9/9/2007, RPWL released the album "9". It is a compilation including 5 previously unreleased live songs and 4 brand new solo songs from Yogi Lang, Chris Postl, Manni Müller and Kalle Wallner, recorded together by the band. Those studio-tracks are representing the different influences in the band. "9" was released in a limited edition of 999 CDs and is only available from their website.
In 2008 they released the album"The RPWL Experience".
The band's official website is www.rpwl.de.
Karlheinz Wallner has a solo project, Blind Ego.
The Shadow
RPWL Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Glad you teach me where to go
Even out in the moonlight
I walk at your heels without a goal
I've been to every place on earth
Every place that you have been before
I'm always on my way
Give me a light in the dark
An anchor for my restless will
Give me the faith I need
Give me a reason for which I can live
Don't be afraid, I'm a soul like you
Driven to a place where I don't belong
But there'll come a time when I step into the light
I'm not your Dorian Gray, I'm not your Mr. Hyde
I just lost direction and lost my goal
There is no destiny when your wishes start to die
I have no destiny
You can see me as a simple change
As a lovely day will turn to night
I know too much to know of what I'm aware
I love your world so much
Your world of sun and sacred light
There's no other way for me
No other way to be on this side
The lyrics of RPWL's The Shadow convey a sense of surrender and reliance, as the singer walks aimlessly and without a home, following their companion, grateful for the guidance. The song is about searching for meaning and direction, and seeking an anchor for one's restlessness. The singer yearns for a light in the darkness, a reason to live, and the faith they need to keep going. The lyrics suggest that the singer has lost their way and is no longer in control of their own destiny, but they hold onto hope that they will eventually find the illumination they seek.
The opening lines set the mood of the song, with the singer walking into the night, grateful for the guidance of their companion. The lyrics then go on to describe the singer's sense of aimlessness, and the fact that they have traveled all over the world but have not found a true home. The chorus then expresses the singer's desire for a light in the dark, an anchor to hold onto, and a reason to keep going. The following verses convey the singer's confusion and sense of being lost, along with their hope that they will eventually find their way and step into the light. The lyrics of The Shadow are profound and reflect the universal human experience of searching for meaning, purpose, and direction in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I walk into the night
I embark on a journey of the unknown
Glad you teach me where to go
Thankful for your guidance in life
Even out in the moonlight
Even in the dark times
I walk at your heels without a goal
I follow you without a specific objective
I've been to every place on earth
I have traveled to every destination possible
Every place that you have been before
I've gone where you've gone before
I'm always on my way
I'm always traveling
But I just follow, I got no home
I have no place that I permanently reside
Give me a light in the dark
Provide me with hope during tough times
An anchor for my restless will
A calming force for my continuous desire to move
Give me the faith I need
Instill in me the necessary belief
Give me a reason for which I can live
Provide me with a purpose that motivates me to persist
Don't be afraid, I'm a soul like you
Do not fear, I'm just like you
Driven to a place where I don't belong
Compelled to a location that is not suitable for me
But there'll come a time when I step into the light
But there will come a moment of enlightenment
I'm not your Dorian Gray, I'm not your Mr. Hyde
I'm not a fictional character dealing with similar issues
I just lost direction and lost my goal
I became misguided and unaware of my aspirations
There is no destiny when your wishes start to die
Your fate is undetermined when your dreams fade away
I have no destiny
I do not believe in predetermined fate
You can see me as a simple change
You may perceive me as a minor occurrence
As a lovely day will turn to night
Just as a beautiful day may end abruptly
I know too much to know of what I'm aware
I have learned so much that I'm knowledgeable of my ignorance
I love your world so much
I appreciate and cherish your surroundings
Your world of sun and sacred light
Your environment filled with radiance and holiness
There's no other way for me
This is the only path for me
No other way to be on this side
This is the only way to exist in this location
Contributed by Maya R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.