Rough Silk emerged in 1989 as a Hannover, Germany rock outfit whose founding lineup featured Jan Barnett on vocals and guitar, Herbert Hartmann handling vocals and drums, Ferdy Doernberg covering vocals, keyboards and guitar, Hilmer Staacke on guitar until his death on 25 May 2006, and Ralf Schwertner on bass. Part of Europe’s fresh influx of rock acts at the time, the group displayed a clear affinity for American AOR sounds reminiscent of Rainbow, Bon Jovi and REO Speedwagon, which repeatedly drew charges of derivativeness. Still, they demonstrated solid command of the style, above all across a pair of early-90s releases cut at Dieter Dierks’ German facility, the stronger of which, Walls Of Never, showcased their range through tracks such as ‘Toxical Roses’ and ‘One More For The Ride’ that moved between moods yet sustained drive. Hartmann, Doernberg and Schwertner stayed in charge through the new millennium, issuing further albums on the Massacre and SPV imprints, while additional musicians who passed through the ranks included Thomas Ludolphy on vocals, Andreas Laszewski on guitar, Curt Doernberg on drums and Nils Wunderlich on vocals and guitar.
