Ace Frehley - Anomaly (CD)

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(Review by Yiannis Plaster caster Zervos)
It seems like yesterday, but it's actually been 37 years ago that this strange kid with a red and an orange sneaker showed up for an audition in this New York-based group named KISS. Not many know that Ace is responsible for the most famous band logo in Rock 'n' Roll. His unique guitar style combined with his spaced solos (just listen to Strange Ways' solo and you'll you know what I'm talking about) and his fantastic on-stage effects with smokes coming out of his guitar, explosions etc, made Ace one of the most influential guitar players of the 70s.

Ace The Spaceman Frehley left KISS in 1982, and began his solo career with FREHLEY'S COMET and a new band on his own name afterwards. After a massive KISS reunion tour in 1996, Ace is back with a brand new solo album after 20 years.

Anomaly is a title that caught my attention from the beginning and the well shaped design of the CD (designed by Ace himself) came next. From the musical point of view Frehley tried to satisfy his old die-hard fans, but also tried to attract the younger audience into his spaced Rock music.

Anomaly blends two different styles of music. The first one contains Ace's influences and his past; the old way of songwriting is obvious in songs like Foxy And Free (an obvious Hendrix reference), Genghis Khan (an even more LED ZEPPELIN taste here), Too Many Faces, Change The World, A Little Below The Angels (a beautiful acoustic song), It's A Great Life (a combination of KISS' past from Ace's point of view) and  Fox On The Run (an old song by SWEET). The other side of Anomaly includes heavier songs like Outer Space (this song could be The Spaceman's anthem), Space Bear (an instrumental song with a hard solid riff and a space feel), Pain In The Neck and Sister. Anomaly ends with Fractured Quantum, a sweet melodic instrumental song that leaves you with a strange (maybe perverted) feeling of nostalgia.

Yes! Space Ace is back with Anomaly; it's a strange thing he chose to make his comeback the same year that KISS release their Sonic Boom CD. These guys have a common fate, either they like it or not!