1. First of all, congratulations with this giant album! It makes me feel 20 years younger!
How do you feel at the moment?

Well, the release of this album is something I’ve always dreamed about so it gives me a very good feeling. I had the chance to work with some of my personal idols and I’m really happy with the way the album turned out.

2. Did you already have reactions to the album?

Yes, I’ve read some good reviews about the album here and there. You can check them out also in the ‘reviews section’ at the Frozen Rain site. But it’s even more important for me what the listeners and fans think about the album. Some very nice comments have been posted in my guestbook, on several forums, on my space, and I’ve also received lots of mails from people all around the world telling me they like the album. I’m happy the album is received so well.

3. You’ve grounded a project to realize pure melodic rock. What’s the main idea behind this giant album?

I’ve always been a big fan of AOR and melodic rock and being a musician/composer I’ve always had this ‘dream’ to make an AOR album with my own compositions. Now that dream has finally been realized!

4. Why do you call it ‘project’ – isn’t it a band?

At this stage Frozen Rain is indeed more a project but it’s possible it will develop more to a real band in the near future. The making of this album has been a fantastic experience for me and I met a lot of talented people who cooperated on the album. During all the years playing as a musician I met some very talented musicians who became good friends. Working on the Frozen Rain album as a ‘project’ gave me the ideal opportunity to work together with all of them which wouldn’t have been possible when I played in a band. I also believe that bringing all the qualities of these musicians and singers together made the album much stronger.

5. What must a man do, to realize a project like that?

I think the most important thing is that you keep believing in yourself and hold on to your goal. Of course it’s important you have some good songs. Personally I don’t like fillers on an album so I wanted to have good songs from beginning till the end. And of course you need to have some luck... I am very grateful I had the chance to work with a lot of talented musicians for my album and to find the perfect label for my music. As soon as I met Gregor Klee and Robert Pancur I knew ‘Avenue Of Allies Music’ was the perfect home for my music. Gregor & Robert are very nice people to work with. We also share the same musical vision and we like the same bands.

6. In the info about the project you are compared with a lot of bands. What do you think about the comparing?

It’s very nice to be compared with bands like The Storm, Harlan Cage, Drive She Said, Honeymoon Suite, Boulevard etc. and being an AOR fan it’s normal a lot of these influences shine through in my music. Still I think Frozen Rain has its own style. Many people tell me my music sounds very happy and makes them feel good.

7. A comparison with which band is an honour for you? Why?

I’m a fan of all bands mentioned above so to be compared with all of them is great. Because Frozen Rain offers some kind of ‘lighter’ AOR similar to a band like Boulevard that band is probably a good comparison. The second Boulevard album “Into the street” is one of my favourite albums.

8. How did you found the musicians for the project? How long did it take to make the ‘band’ complete?

When I started to work on the album I never thought I would have the chance to work with people like Tommy & Steve. Being a fan of both guys I was so glad they wanted to play on my album. Most of the other players are good friends I already knew before and they liked the idea to record a ‘Frozen Rain’ album. Finding the right vocalists was a more difficult thing. In this kind of music you really need to have a good lead vocalist. It took me two years to find the singers I was looking for. Some songs needed a powerful voice, other tunes had some very high notes that not every singer can sing. I saw singer Johan Waem the first time on television during the ‘pop idol contest” where he ended as one of the last 20 candidates. While hearing Johan sing I knew right away that he had the perfect voice for several Frozen Rain songs. I called Johan and he liked the idea of singing on the Frozen Rain CD. The recordings with him turned out fine and we had a great time in the studio. Ollie Oldenburg (ex-Zinatra) & Maurice Saelmans are two singers from Holland I discovered after putting an advertisement on a website for vocalists. Both have a very large vocal range which I needed in several songs. They’re both fantastic singers with a professional attitude. The two other lead singers on the album are from Belgium. Dirk Cauwels is a good friend I know for many years and Peter De Zutter I met thanks to a mutual friend of ours.

9. Who wrote the songs for the project? Did the members help with the songwriting?

I have written most part of the songs myself. Some others I co-wrote with other people like the Swedish lyricist Andy Flash for example. In fact all songs were written before I started with the recordings. For a follow up I’m planning to write new songs with several people who were involved in the first album like keyboard player Jurgen Vitrier and vocalist Ollie Oldenburg. I will also write new material with guitar player Rik Priem who will play probably most of the guitars on album nr. 2

10. How do the musicians think about the album? Did they have fun making this journey to the past?

The making of this album was a great experience and very fun to do. I can tell you we had a lot of fun in my home studio during the recording sessions. From most of the musicians I already heard they are pleased with the result.

11. Do you think it’s possible to make it on stage? Will it happen?

At the moment there are no plans to play live. I would have to put together a live band first and rehearse. Touring costs a lot of money and time which isn’t easy for a new project like Frozen Rain and a new starting record label. Touring is also a bit difficult because of my daytime job & family situation. So right now I prefer to use my free moments for writing and recording. But who knows what the future will bring...?

12. What will happen in the future? Your next plans?

Now that the album is completed I’m looking out for the summer to start writing new song material and work out some fresh ideas. And then everything can start all over again for album number two...