Guitar shop types will tell you (perhaps correctly) that former Kiss axeman ACE FREHLEY is a technically limited guitar player. But he’s unquestionably the definitive guitar player for Kiss. MATT THROWER discovers why.

This is awkward. Kiss and Ace Frehley have new studio albums out at roughly the same time. Although the brand name ensures Kiss’ Sonic Boom is the higher-profile release (not to mention a cleaner, more disciplined record), it can’t hold a candle to Ace Frehley’s Anomaly, a messy headrush of leather-clad hard rock and psychedelia. Dedicated to Dimebag Darrell and late Kiss drummer Eric Carr (that performer’s make-up persona hinted at in the killer rock & roll of Foxy & Free and a cover of Sweet’s Fox On The Run), Anomaly may even be making Kiss nervous.

On the eve of his Australian tour, Ace has just one comment to make relating to his former colleagues.

“Where did Paul Stanley play on his last tour?” Ace asks in his unmistakeable Bronx accent, a speaking voice unchanged since the 1970s. Despite his 58 years of age, he still sounds like a teenage New York punk – he’s the one member of Kiss you could imagine playing in other quintessential Noo Yawk institutions like The Ramones.

Twin Towns Services Club in Tweed Heads, I reply, adding that his show is at the more rock & roll Tivoli Theatre.

“Cool,” he replies. And that’s about as much as he has to say about Ace/Kiss competition. The other memories he offers about his former band are all fond ones.

“I’ll never forget the height of Kissmania in Australia (circa 1980),” he remembers. “That day all those people came out to see us in Perth and we got the key to the city – it’s a very special memory for me.”

Not that he has a great deal of time for dwelling on the past. As he puts it himself, “I’m always thinking about now.”

To back up this statement, Anomaly features the fourth and final part of his Fractured series of instrumentals which have appeared since his debut solo album in 1978.

“That’s it for Fractured, there won’t be any more parts to that series,” he says. “The new album shows a more diverse side of me, with songs like A Little Below The Angels and It’s A Great Life which has some jazz feels. This new record is mainstream Ace but with a few curveballs. My favourite song is Genghis Khan – we had great fun with that track, using Pro-Tools and layering the sounds.”

As a result, Genghis Khan sounds like Led Zeppelin filtered through Indian ragas, psychedelic guitar effects and minimal, mantra-like lyrics. Naturally, Ace is excited at bringing a mixture of old and new songs to his solo Australian tour.

“I’m with the same guys I toured with in 2008,” he says. “They’re great guys to work with and there are never any dramas on the road. I’m having more fun now than ever before.”

Is there a health regimen you’re following while on tour?

“Yeah, no drugs and alcohol. Everything else is status-quo,” he pronounces, with a light chuckle.

And what Kiss songs will you play?

“We do some classic Kiss songs like Rock & Roll All Nite and Love Gun,” he replies. “Our drummer Scott sings lead for Love Gun, which gives me a breather. We’ve been thinking a lot about what to play in Australia. We know that (Ace-written hit) Talk To Me was very popular there, so we’ll probably do that one. I’ve been getting a lot of feedback from Australian fans to get some ideas.”

The Spaceman then asks my advice: “What songs do you think would go down well in Australia?”

Without hesitation, I reply – if you play Torpedo Girl from Unmasked, you’ll make my friends and I very happy.

“Oh yeah, is Torpedo Girl popular in Australia?” he asks.

It’s popular with me, I reply. Then comes the classic Ace cackle. Always good to end a story on a (natural) high…

ACE FREHLEY plays The Tivoli on Monday Feb 8. Anomaly is out now through Bronx Born Records. Check out www.acefrehley.com

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