Grammy-nominated Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and guitar legend, Ace Frehley, will release his new studio album, 10,000 Volts, on February 23. Produced by Ace and Steve Brown (Trixter), the 11-track 10,000 Volts sees Ace perform electrifying, hard-hitting, riff-heavy rock'n' roll.
In a new interview with Marko Syrjälä for Chaoszine.net, Ace talks about the new album, his future plans, and a few selected subjects regarding Frehley’s former employer. An excerpt follows...
Chaoszine.net; One significant period came to an end when KISS played their final concert at the legendary Madison Square Garden on December 2nd. Contrary to fans’ expectations, neither you, Peter Criss, nor Bruce Kulick appeared at the show. Now that over a month has passed, what thoughts and emotions does that evoke in you?
Ace Frehley: "I don’t really understand what happened six or seven to eight months ago when Paul and Gene were in the midst of the “End Of The Road” tour. They were saying really nice things about Peter and Bruce Kulick and me. They were saying, 'We called Ace, we called Peter, and they’re going to be on stage with us and play a few final songs,' you know, “brotherhood” and all that bullshit. And then, the last month, once the show was sold out and they didn’t need our help to sell out any more tickets, Paul Stanley went on the Howard Stern show and said, 'Well, if Ace and Peter got up on stage with us, you might as well call the band Piss.' That was completely opposite from what he was saying 6-7 months ago, and I don’t know why he said it, but it pissed me off, and after hearing that, I decided I wasn’t going there. Even if he had invited me and given me a personal invitation after he had hit us below the belt with that comment, I would not have gone there. You know, I can play rings around Paul Stanley on guitar. I can even sing better than him and don’t have to use backing tracks." (Laughs)
Read the full interview at Chaoszine.net.
Ace offers a sneak peek into the making of 10,000 Volts, and the title track, with a new behind the scenes video. Watch below:
The first single and title track was written and produced by Ace and Steve Brown, the track kicks off with a surging riff, and Ace's swaggering delivery takes hold and never lets go. It culminates on the chantable chorus, “She hit me like 10,000 volts, when I saw her face,” giving way to a fret-burning guitar solo. Stream/get the single here.
The accompanying visual for the single was directed by Alex Kouvatsos from Black Wolf Imaging and shows Ace and his band performing the powerful, riff-heavy track live. Watch below.
Rock ‘n’ roll and heavy metal simply wouldn’t sound, look, or feel the same without Ace Frehley. Among hundreds of accolades, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him in 2014 as a co-founder and the original lead guitarist of KISS. Guitar World named him in the Top 15 of its “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time” and plugged the lead from “Shock Me” on the “50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.” Magnifying the imprint of his catalog as a solo artist, Foo Fighters cut a fan favorite cover of “Ozone,” and he even jammed out “New York Groove” alongside The Roots on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The late Dimebag Darrell of Pantera proudly sported a tattoo of Frehley on his chest, while Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine celebrated him on X/Twitter as “My first guitar hero.”
Pre-order the new album here.
10,000 Volts tracklisting:
"10,000 Volts"
"Walkin’ On The Moon"
"Cosmic Heart"
"Cherry Medicine"
"Back Into My Arms Again"
"Fightin’ For Life"
"Blinded"
"Constantly Cute"
"Life Of A Stranger"
"Up In The Sky"
"Stratosphere"
"10,000 Volts" video:
Ace Frehley tour dates in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Illinois, and more were recently announced for 2024. Traditional VIP Experience packages are available. Visit AceFrehley.com or scan the code in the poster below.
Dates:
January
25 - Frankfort, KY - Grand Theatre
26 - Anderson, IN - Paramount Theatre
27 - Nashville, IN - Brown County Music Center
March
2-6 - Miami, FL - Monsters Of Rock Cruise
28 - New York, NY - Sony Hall
29 - Woonsocket, RI - Stadium Theatre
30 - Rutland, VT - Paramount Theatre
April
12 - Rome, NY - Rome Capitol Theatre
13 - Carteret, NJ - Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center
June
28 - Marion, IL - Marion Cultural & Civic Center
(Photo - Jayme Thornton)
