For former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley, the last 3 years have seen him fight his much publicised alcohol demons and spend this time clean and sober.  What better way to celebrate 3 years of sobriety than with your first solo album in over 20 years, “Anomaly”.  Being only a casual Kiss fan at best, I must say I was most intrigued to see what the “Space Ace” had up his sleeve with this album.

Opening track “Foxy & Free” from the outset features the unmistakable guitar riffing of Ace and vocally has a very distinct Kiss vibe to these casual Kiss listening ears :)  A great rocking track to open up the album!

“Outer Space” and “Pain In The Neck” continue on in rocking style with their almost “stoner” guitar type riffs, but I am not totally sold on these tracks, with the tempo changes of the latter littered throughout the song making it an interesting listen.

Realising that here we are with yet another cover version of The Sweet’s “Fox On The Run”, my initial thought was why, oh why, oh why....but these thoughts quickly disappeared the more I heard of this killer version.  Whilst it doesn’t really add anything new, the energy, vocal delivery and guitar work make for a great version!

The album features three instrumental tracks, with each displaying the fretboard pyrotechnics for which Ace is so renowned, not to mention a showcase for the sometimes complex songwriting and arrangements delivered by Ace on this album. The middle Eastern meets Led Zeppelin inspired semi instrumental “Genghis Khan” offers a complete change of direction for the album and a big thumbs up for this track!  “Space Bear” is simply put a vintage Kiss sounding instrumental track, whilst the largely acoustic based “Fractured Quantum” is particularly enchanting with it’s melodic lead guitar work.

“Too Many Faces” is a catchy song with a killer guitar solo and adds yet another element of diversity to the album.  Lyrically, the album often draws upon Ace’s personal experiences and battles of addiction, none more so than “A Little Below The Angels” which starts off with the hauntingly reflective lyrics of “alcohol, it was a friend of mine, it almost got me dead”.  Without doubt this track is the albums majestic moment and with one can’t help but be drawn in by Ace’s endearing honesty.

In what is a big 2nd half of the year for Kiss fans, with Kiss’s Sonic Boom about to be released and the recent announcement of a new solo album from Bruce Kulick, time will tell which of these albums proves to be the most popular amongst Kiss fans.  As for “Anomaly”, well the “Space Ace” has more than justified his relevance in the modern era as one of the most influential guitarists and performers in rock history.

Australian fans, be sure to catch Ace when he tours in the coming weeks!!  Check his website and Myspace for all tour details.