1. Give us a few clues about the band (who is in the band, when you started etc.)

Well, first of all I have to tell you that Frozen Rain isn't really a band, it's more a project. I've played in several bands before but with Frozen Rain I had the chance to work with more musicians and singers which made it all more interesting. 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. In 2002 I began with the first recordings for the album in my home studio. I was delighted I had the chance to work with some of my personal idols like Tommy Denander (Radioactive) and Steve Newman (Newman). Other musicians on the album are Daniel Flores (Mind's Eye), Jim Santos (Norway), Ollie Oldenburg (ex-Zinatra vocalist), Ward Snauwaert (guitar player of Reborn, great Belgian artist) and many, many more.

2. You started composing music at the age of ten. This is really impressing. When did you start studying on music?

I started with music school when I was 12 years old and learned to play classical guitar. But... I wanted
to play rock music. I guess I was about 16 years old when I bought my first real electric guitar.

3. It took you several years to finally find a label to release your music. I'm really curious to know why a label didn't sign you since your music is really good. You think that labels are chasing ONLY profit?

The AOR market is a very small market of course and there aren't that many labels around. I also wanted to finish the record first before presenting it to a label so I haven't been seeking intensely. Still I did sent a few demo songs to a well known melodic rock label that is out of business meanwhile. They phoned me several times and told me they were interested in signing Frozen Rain. But after a while it became silent... When I contacted them again it seemed that they had changed their mind cause suddenly they thought my music was sounding too 'commercial'. Probably there was already going on more behind the scenes cause in the meantime that label is gone. With Avenue Of Allies Music I have found the perfect label for my music. Gregor Klee & Robert Pancur really believe in Frozen Rain and have a heart for this kind of music.

4. Your favorite musical instrument is keyboards but you started as a singer and guitarist. Why did you gave up on these instruments? Do you think that keyboards appeal to you better?

I remember that at a certain moment we wanted to add keys to our music. We started looking for a keyboard player but didn't find the right person immediately. We already had a great guitar player in the band so I decided to start playing keyboards. I learned to play keys all by myself and liked it a lot. The keyboards have become my main instrument but that doesn't mean I gave up the guitar playing or singing. On the Frozen Rain cd I also play some rhythm guitar and I sing backing vocals in each song. On a second album I will probably play some more guitar and do some bass guitar as well.

5. Why did it take you so long to record the album? Weren't the songs already written?

Well, i'm not a full time musician you know. I have a busy daytime job & family life. This means I can only work on my music in my free moments. That in combination with the fact that Frozen Rain is such a big project with many guests involved made that there was a lot that had to be planned and organized. All those things took a lot of time...

6.Tell us a few things about the experience you gained from your cooperation with such great musicians as Tommy Denander and Steve Newman.

Tommy Denander & Steve Newman are both fantastic people to work with. Both are idols of myself so I don't have to tell you how glad I am to have them playing on my album. Tommy & Steve are very professional and have added a lot to the sound. Tommy did some wonderful guitar solos and Steve has even mixed a track.

7. The album is going to be released soon.  Are you going to tour to promote it?

I'm afraid touring will not happen soon. At the moment there are no plans to go on tour. Frozen Rain is a project and if i want to go on tour I would have to put together a live band first and rehearse. Touring also 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 working situation. So right now I prefer to use my free moments for writing and recording. But who knows what the future will bring...?

8. Is frozen rain an one-man band? Were all the songs written by you or did you have any help in any of the parts of a song?

I'm the person behind Frozen Rain and have written a lot of the songs all by myself. For the album I've used some older songs that date back from the period with my band Rhyana but I've also written several new tracks together with the Swedish lyricist Andy Flash.

9.  Your singer is really great. As you said it took you 2 years to find him. You think that vocals are so crucial in this kind of music? Do you believe that vocals can give an extra boost to the music?

Yes I believe a good singer is very important in this kind of music. And believe me, good singers are hard to find in this genre of music. I must tell you that there is not 1 but there are 5 lead singers on the album. So I guess you mean Johan Waem in your question cause he sings 4 of the 12 tracks on the cd. I saw Johan 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 like you can hear on the album & we had a great time in the studio. Soon after Johan and I ended our recordings he became a popular artist. Ollie Oldenburg (ex-Zinatra) & Maurice Saelmans are two singers from Holland I discovered after putting an advertisement on a website for vocalists. Many dozens of singers reacted and finally I chose Ollie & Maurice. Both have a very large vocal range which I needed in several songs. I hope to be able to work with them again in the future cause 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. On the album I also wanted to try out a duet. Just listen to 'On the run' where Ollie Oldenburg & Dirk Cauwels alternate all the time. I'm very glad with the way that song turned out.

10. Is Avenue of allies a newly formed label company? I haven't heard of them. Have they any other releases out?

Avenue Of Allies Music is a new young German record label which will be specializing in AOR, Melodic Rock and Westcoast. The CD release schedule will be featuring brand new releases as well as re-issues of rare stuff and CDs of never before released vinyl LPs. All albums will be available as physical CDs and as digital downloads. The company originated from the longtime friendship of Gregor Klee and Robert Pancur who also worked together on some releases of Target Records.

11. Thank you for this interview. The last words are yours.

Thanks a lot for your interest in Frozen Rain and doing this interview with me. You can easily say that the
Frozen Rain album is my life work so seeing this finally released gives me a good feeling. What makes me even
more happy are the positive reactions I am receiving from all over the world. So thanks so much to everyone
for checking out Frozen Rain.