[1] He started a band called Exodus, and he recruited the now Vanden Plas singer and bandmate Andy Kuntz for vocals, and his brother Stephan Lill on guitar.
The band, which has 3 live shows in Germany, evolved into the modern Vanden Plas, adding Torsten Reichert on bass and Günter Werno on keyboards.
He is a trained power systems electronics technician and holds a diploma in civil engineering.
To finance the beginning of his career as a professional musician, he worked as a road builder, mover, manufacturer of drill anchors and express driver, among other things.
[1] He has also been involved in multiple side projects, such as Missa Mercuria, Abydos, Section A, Winterlong, Ian Parry's Visions and All My Shadows.