1236. Ace Frehley / 10,000 Volts. 2024. 3/5

Ace Frehley fans have been fortunate over the years in the amount of albums he has released, and his continued effort to have new material out there to showcase his talents and wares. While many people still hark back to that original solo album released in 1978 as a part of the four albums the members of Kiss put out that year, and suggest it was his best release, he has done far more than that which fans have enjoyed. There was the two-album stint of the band Frehley’s Comet in the late 1980’s that took advantage of that era of music to ride the wave, along with his second solo release “Trouble Walkin’”. Since then, there have been plenty of releases after his second tour of duty with Kiss, with albums such as “Anomaly” and “Space Invader” and “Spaceman”, along with “Origins Pt 1” and “Origins Pt 2”. So it’s great to have Ace back in the saddle, and still releasing new music.
Coming on board for this album to help... in every department really... is Steve Brown from the band Trixter. Steve acts as co-writer on all but two of the tracks, and is the co-producer of the album, alongside Ace himself. His Trixter bandmates – David Julian on guitar and PJ Farley on bass – also contribute to playing on several tracks, while Brown himself is also involved instrumentally and back up vocally throughout. Other musicians also help out along the way, including former Kiss contributor Anton Fig on drums.
So, let the listener beware. If you are going to come into this album, and expect some ripping guitar and breakneck songs like the Ace of old may have contributed to in his former band or on earlier albums, then you are coming in with the wrong attitude to enjoying this album. Ace is 72 years old as of the release of this album, and has been around music for well over fifty years. He knows where he fits, and he writes and plays accordingly. And that is the best way to approach listening to this album for the first time, because – and yes this is a spoiler alert – much like many Kiss albums, there are some very good tracks here, and there are some less exciting tracks here. You have been warned.

The album opens with the first teaser single released, the title track “10,000 Volts”. It is probably the hardest rock track of the album, the one to best present Ace and his new album to the world. It also acts as a way of dragging you into the album. This is an uptempo track, with a good hard rock beat, and an atypical latter day Ace solo to appease everyone who comes to the album, because we are all here for Ace’s guitar, aren’t we? The vocals are satisfying, though to me come across very similar to another lead singer who is not QUITE a lead singer, Chris Jericho from Fozzy. Still, a good opening.
For my taste, the tempo slips back to mid-range from here, which is slightly disappointing from a personal perspective. I would like to have heard more of the faster tempo in the album, but that is not the case. “Walkin’ on the Moon” has a good melody line throughout and nice solo lead break and keeps the vibe of the album motoring along. This is followed by “Cosmic Heart” that still resides in the midtempo, but also contains big chorused and phased vocals through the middle of the song, like it was written for an anthemic singalong in the live environment. It's fine, but maybe a bit too obvious in its arrangement. “Cherry Medicine” is a very candy pop rock song both lyrically and musically. The riff to open the song actually makes you think the song is going to break out into a real hard rock song, but it doesn’t develop that way, apart from Ace’s solo in the middle that goes against the grain of the song to that point. It isn’t unlikeable, indeed my feet tapping and head bobbing each time the song comes on suggests it is fine, but again, that mid-tempo riff needs a kick in the pants to get it cranking. Lyrics like “Cherry medicine, gotta get me some” are also a bit hard to swallow.
This is then followed by a real literal love song “Back into my Arms Again”, it could well have been dragged from any glam rock band in the 1980’s such is the sugar dripping off it. Again, lyrics like ‘looking at you, looking at me, could this really be” should suggest what is happening. Seriously, this is almost 1980’s like lyrics writing.
Better is to come. “Fightin’ for Life” returns with a faster pace, great Ace riff, and vocally he’s back trying to drag some energy into the album. I have to refer once again to the band Fozzy, because this track vocally and in some ways musically reminds me of them again. Ace has a great solo in this song, and this mirrors more to what I was hoping this whole album would be like. This is one of the best tracks on the album. Then comes “Blinded” which follows on in similar fashion, with a good underlying riff through the song and a great solo in the middle. These two songs restore some order to the album for those who are looking for a harder edge and energy. But it doesn’t last.
Far out. When it comes to lyrics writing, you can truly rip your ears off with what comes in “Constantly Cute”. No prizes for who Ace is directing this song at, and while it isn’t terrible musically it is a difficult road listening to the lines being sung. In fact, it’s another song with that resemblance to Fozzy (not lyrically). “Life of a Stranger” is the only song on this album where Ace hasn’t been involved in the writing, and to me it shows up immediately. There’s little imagination in the music or lyrics, it drags a blues base into the song and the phased, triple layered Ozzy Osbourne like vocals don’t do it any favours at all. If Ozzy was singing and Zakk was playing guitar it might be saved, but to me this doesn’t grab my interest.
“Up in the Sky” does redeem things a little, picking up the energy again with more power coming through Ace’s guitar here, invoking his enjoyment of writing about aliens once again. This is perhaps the most Ace-sounding song on the album vocally as well. The album then concludes with the instrumental track “Stratosphere” which is arguably the best moment of the entire album.

There’s no doubt that this album is more about writing solid songs than about showcasing Ace as a guitarist, which makes sense in the modern age given the lack of competition from his peers in this regard. While I, like you, probably came into the album hoping to hear Ace rip and tear through the whole album, the amount that that occurs on “10,000 Volts” is not as much as you would like. And Ace is definitely not reinventing the wheel here, but why should he? He has kept writing new material consistently over the years, and he has his own style that he doesn’t try to change. I like the fact that the songs are short, sharp and to the point. They don’t overstay their welcome, they don’t become progressive rock pieces that think that being longer is better. Steve Brown’s influence in both writing and producing does seem to flow into the songs on this album, giving a different flavour to what Ace has offered over his last couple of solo releases.
Obviously you can take or leave what I’ve said about the songs produced here for “10,000 Volts”. As with all new albums, initial reactions can end up being completely different the more or less you listen to the album. As I record this podcast episode, this album is only a few days old, and my impressions in six months time will definitely be different to what I have to say here at this point in time. The comparison made here between the sound on some songs and those of the band Fozzy are just what I have gotten from the first time I listened to the album, but they have stuck.
So I have listened to this album now a total of 23 times over the past few days, and I enjoy it more every time I listen to it. I enjoy Ace’s vocals, and most of the tracks are above average. Some aren’t, as I have described, but when I have had the album on, I haven’t felt the need (especially) to skip any of the songs. When Ace does let rip, it mightn’t be 1978 but it is still inherently Ace Frehley, and that is always great to hear. The lyrics are also typical Ace topics – gangs, space, girls... and a couple that ride the edge of the plane.
The verdict? This isn’t going to blow your mind, but it is a really enjoyable listen, even if that is in a nostalgic kind of way. I have found myself smiling in places when certain songs and stretches of songs have played, and after all, that’s what we want from our music. It isn't “Destroyer”, but for fans looking for something new in your life, this should fit the bill nicely.