Rough Silk build up a good reputation as a live-act by suporting bands like Helloween , Deep Purple, Dio, Savatage, Manowar, Fate's Warning, Accept, Whitesnake, Axxis, Europe, Saxon and Vicious Rumors among others.
The founding members were Ferdy Doernberg (keyboards, slide-guitars & vocals), Hilmer Staake (guitars), Jan Barnett (lead vocals, guitars), Ralf Schwertner (bass, vocals) and Herbert Hartmann (drums, vocals) but there have been some changes that created kind of different eras of the band’s history.
The first era contained the albums “Rough Silk” (Vinyl LP only), “Roots of Hate”, “Walls of Never”, “Circle Of Pain” and “Mephisto” followed by a first European tour with Savatage.
The second era started with the 5th album when Barnett left the band and was replaced by Thomas Ludolphy. In this period the band recorded the albums “Beyond the Sundown” and “Symphony of Life” and supported Savatage in Europe once more, on Savatage’s special wish. During this time Rough Silk brought out their first best of album “Wheels of Time”.
In 2002 Ludolphy left the band due to personal reasons and the band decided that they would not look for a new singer. On the band's 7th studio album "End of Infinity", Doernberg, Hartmann and Wunderlich shared the lead-vocals. But unfortunatly it became obvious that the band members had parted minds and had no common vision on this style anymore, so this finally led to the end of the era and Rough Silk was put on ice.
In 2009 Doemberg found the fitting band members for the reincarnation of Rough Silk, and due to the 20th band anniversary now the 3rd era starts – with “A New Beginning”.
Discography:
* Rough Silk – 1991 (no official release, only Vinyl)
* Roots of Hate – 1993
* Walls of Never – 1994
* Circle of Pain – 1996
* Mephisto – 1997
* Beyond the Sundown – 1998,
* Wheels of Time – 1999 (Best Off)
* Symphony of Life – 2001
* End of Infinity – 2003
* A new Beginning – 2009
Line Up:
Ferdy Doernberg - lead vocals, slide-, lead- & rhythm-guitars, keyboards
André Hort - bass, backing vocals
Mike Mandel - lead- & rhythm-guitars, backing vocals
Alex Wenn - drums & percussion, backing vocals
Nosferatu
Rough Silk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nosferatu - all the years - their graves remain
Nosferatu - would you share a little drink with me
Nosferatu - until the sunlight sets you free
Nosferatu - times have changed and always will
Nosferatu - now you're way too old to kill
Nosferatu - you steel your blood from hospitals
nights of blood and nights of darkness
nights of passion - nights of hate
nights of rumours . nights of silence
nights of doubt came much too late
nights now fill your heart with sorrow
you can't sleep without your daily wine
so now you're waiting for tomorrow
and the morning sun to shine
Nosferatu - on that hill - alone and grey
Nosferatu - You see the children and not prey
Nosferatu - when the light slowly takes your hand
Nosferatu - burns to ashes in the end
The lyrics to Rough Silk's song "Nosferatu" paint a picture of a vampire who has been around for centuries and has seen a lot of pain and suffering. The chorus begins with the repetition of the name Nosferatu, a name often used to refer to vampires in popular culture. The first line of the chorus, "all the tears and all the pain," implies that the vampire has seen a lot of suffering throughout the years, perhaps even caused some of it himself. The second line, "all the years - their graves remain," suggests that time has not been kind to the vampire, and he has outlived many of his contemporaries and acquaintances.
The third line of the chorus, "would you share a little drink with me," takes on a double meaning. On one hand, the vampire may be asking his listener for a sip of their blood, but on the other hand, he could just be asking for companionship or a friendly drink. The fourth line, "until the sunlight sets you free," is a reference to the fact that vampires are vulnerable to sunlight, and suggests that the vampire himself may be ready to die.
The second verse of the song speaks to the fact that things have changed over time, and the vampire is no longer the feared creature he once was. The line "now you're way too old to kill" implies that people are no longer afraid of him, and he is no longer a threat to them. The line "you steel your blood from hospitals" suggests that the vampire has resorted to stealing blood from hospitals instead of preying on humans directly, possibly because of fear of contracting diseases like AIDS.
Line by Line Meaning
Nosferatu - all the tears and all the pain
The pain and emotion experienced throughout life.
Nosferatu - all the years - their graves remain
Memories of the past and those who have gone still remain.
Nosferatu - would you share a little drink with me
Asking to share a moment of solace.
Nosferatu - until the sunlight sets you free
Together until the light breaks, and it's time to go.
Nosferatu - times have changed and always will
The ever-changing times and inevitable evolution.
Nosferatu - now you're way too old to kill
No longer able to take life as before.
Nosferatu - you steel your blood from hospitals
Stealing blood to sustain life.
Nosferatu - you're afraid of aids and lonely cells
Fearful of contracting disease and being confined.
nights of blood and nights of darkness
Dark and dangerous nights.
nights of passion - nights of hate
Emotional nights filled with passion and animosity.
nights of rumours . nights of silence
Gossip-filled and quiet nights.
nights of doubt came much too late
Regret for not having faith sooner.
nights now fill your heart with sorrow
Nighttime brings sadness and sorrow.
you can't sleep without your daily wine
Reliance on alcohol to sleep.
so now you're waiting for tomorrow
Hoping for a better tomorrow.
and the morning sun to shine
The prospect of a new day bringing light and hope.
Nosferatu - on that hill - alone and grey
Solitary figure on a hilltop.
Nosferatu - You see the children and not prey
Choosing to see joy rather than destruction.
Nosferatu - when the light slowly takes your hand
Passing on to the afterlife.
Nosferatu - burns to ashes in the end
Death and finality.
Contributed by Adrian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.