• Tue. Dec 3rd, 2024

Ace Frehley – The Space Ace returns with 10,000 VOLTS!

ByTaylor T Carlson

Mar 13, 2024
10,000 VOLTS is the latest release from former KISS Guitarist Ace Frehley. This is his first release since 2020’s ORIGINS VOL. 2, and first of original material since 2018’s SPACEMAN.

What a long and strange odyssey it’s been for the Space Ace! Ace Frehey rose to fame in the 1970s as the guitarist of KISS, inspiring a whole generation of young people to pick up an instrument. Even after parting ways with the band in the early 80s, Frehley made a comeback with his band Frehley’s Comet, eventually starting a full-fledged solo career. Following a 20-year gap between solo albums, during which time he participated in a KISS reunion, he came back in 2009 with ANOMALY, having been releasing a mix of original material and covers ever since.

10,000 VOLTS is the former KISS guitarist’s latest outing. To say he’s been keeping busy musically for the last decade or so would be an understatement, with plenty of new releases and tour dates around the globe. For his latest studio effort, Trixter guitarist Steve Brown is in the producer’s chair.

For his latest album, this rock and roll fan is pleased to say that the Space Ace doesn’t disappoint, serving up a solid collection of 11 tracks that are quite diverse, but also work well together as a whole. From some hard and heavy opening cuts to some slightly more pop-oriented and melodic tracks, this is classic Ace through and through. Mr. Frehley is never going to win any “Greatest Vocalist” awards, but he’s got one of the most distinct voices out there, and as usual he’s surrounded himself with a solid band of musicians. And perhaps unsurprisingly, the album even ends with an obligatory (but welcomed!) instrumental cut. I don’t think 10,000 VOLTS will top anyone’s list of Ace’s greatest albums, but it’s still a damn fine effort, and I’ll easily put it over nearly everything else the music world is shelling out today.

Hats off to the Space Ace for doing it again with this fantastic release. While certainly not the best album Mr. Frehley has given us, there’s no denying it’s an excellent and musically diverse effort, helped greatly by Steve Brown’s powerful production. Fans of Ace or of classic hard hard rock in general should be pleased with what the Spaceman serves up on 10,000 VOLTS. Highly recommended!

By Taylor T Carlson

Taylor T Carlson Assistant Editor/Senior Staff Writer Taylor T. Carlson was born August 17, 1984, and has called the Vegas Valley home his entire life. A die-hard fan of classic rock and metal music, Taylor has been writing album and concert reviews since he was 16 years old, and continues to do so, having done well over 1,000 reviews. He is also a fan of video gaming and cinema, and has reviewed a number of games and films as well, old and new alike. His thorough and honest (some would say brutally honest) reviewing style has won him the respect of hundreds of music fans and musicians alike, both local and abroad, and the ire of just as many others. Despite being one of the youngest attendees at classic hard rock/metal shows around Vegas, he is also one of the most knowledgeable, having gained the unofficial nickname of “The Eddie Trunk of Las Vegas.” In addition to reviews, Taylor has written and self-published three books on classic hard rock bands, and is a regular participant in rock and roll trivia contests. Taylor also holds a masters degree in special education from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), and has appeared on the hit History Channel television series Pawn Stars. His dream is to be able to one day make a living from writing music books and reviews.

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