"Vamos!" calls Ray Alder. 22 degrees, a lukewarm evening in Madrid, ideal for a round with his dog Sam - telephone interview back or forth. "Sorry", apologizes Alder. "I hope that's okay!" It is. The promotion for his solo album "What The Water Wants" is done by the 52-year-old, whom the progmetal fans know as the singer of Fates Warning. Because time is something the Spaniard by choice does not have much of at his disposal at the moment. Completing the album took longer than expected.
The promotion dates now fall into a phase in which Alder is already working on new songs for Fates Warning. "I'm a little pressed for time," says Alder. "Now I'm happy with the result." Alder has been in business for more than 30 years. But it wasn't until he moved to Madrid three and a half years ago that music became his main profession. When Jim Matheos, head of Fates Warning, dedicated himself to his project Arch/Matheos, Alder finally had the opportunity to make a solo album - the first album under his name.
"I already had the Engine project," he says. "This time the approach is different: I was in my heavy phase back then. This time I wanted to show another side of myself. I like a lot of music, have always been a big fan of melodic things. And that's what you're gonna hear on the solo album. This is what a song like 'Crown Of Thoughts' stands for, which is a tribute to groups like the Little River Band."