Ace Frehley – 10,000 Volts
MNRK Heavy
Rock lives! Reports of its death are, apparently, premature (although they were pretty convincing). Ace Frehley, founding member and lead guitarist of the immortal foursome KISS, although long single, having departed in 1982, has a new record out, 10,000 Volts, the title a not particularly subtle hint that this is a very heavy rock record, played at full bore. This is pure guitar rock, animating the eternal optimism of rock ‘n roll, where every broken heart can heal, every lost romance might return, and where we might well live forever.
“Fightin’ For Life” is red meat for the rock fan. “Life of a Stranger” is the sort of song the repeat button on CD players was made for. I love the track “Back Into My Arms Again” (but then I loved “Beth”), and if I knew more about music I would eruditely tell you the two or three maestro guitarists Ace reminds me of. Suffice to say, he himself is a maestro. “Stratosphere” is an awesome rock song and would be on the heaviest of Heavy Rotation if MTV still existed. The whole album transports me back to the ’80s—a good thing—when the whole world could damn well wait until we finished listening to the record. – GRADE: A
You can check out 10,000 Volts at Bandcamp and elsewhere.
