Anomaly
2009 release from the former Kiss guitarist, his first ’solo’ album in nearly 20 years! Flaunting fiery riffs, pristine production by Marty Fredrickson and jaw-dropping craftsmanship, Anomaly ties together the axeman’s trailblazing past, present and future.
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I have to say that I never expected such a great album from Ace, especially not at this point in his career… but this album is FANTASTIC! Ace has gone into musical areas that he’s never covered before & Genghis Khan alone is more than worth getting this CD for. I think it’s the best tune he’s ever written but I also love Fox on the Run, Change the World, It’s a Great Life & Fractured Quantum.
I doubt Ace is ever going to bring in too may new fans at this late point in his career so if you’re a fan I would HIGHLY recomend not listening to the bad reviews that I find to be ill-informed & completely out of touch with what Ace has produced here. The songwriting is surprisingly good & VERY different for the Spaceman & while there are some “Frehley’s Comet” style tunes here (Foxy & Free, Pain in the Neck & Sister) that style is a big part of Ace’s repetoire & you either like it or you don’t. But the new direction he’s taken on Genghis Khan, A Little Below the Angels, Change the World & It’s a Great Life are HUGE musical shifts for Ace & sound like NOTHING he’s ever done before.
I’ve been a KISS fan since 1974 & while I’m not too thrilled with what they’re doing now I certainly know the music backwards & forwards & for anyone to say that this album is “more of the same” immediately lets me know that they have no idea what they’re talking about.
Ace Fans: If you’re still not sure you can listen to the entire album for free at VH1… I have NO DOUBT that you’ll be running to the store to buy it or iTunes to download it after having a listen. I haven’t been this thrilled with a Kiss-related release in about 20 years & I take my hat off to Ace for pushing the envelope on this GREAT ALBUM.
This release leaves no doubt that while Paul and Gene may have been the brains behind Kiss, Ace was certainly the heart of the band. Some of the songs on this album sound a bit like his 1978 solo album (Foxy & Free), some sound like contemporary rock (Too Many Faces) and some are just plain fantastic (Sister). His cover of The Sweet’s Fox On The Run is a lot better than I could have expected; in fact it’s quite enjoyable, but the gem of the disc is definitely the fourth installment of the Fractured series. At last! Well worth the wait. Hard to believe it’s been 20 years since the Ace’s last solo album. BTW, don’t expect this to sound much like Kiss; it doesn’t. But that’s a good thing. Ahh, it feels like 1978 all over again.
This is the first album since Ace’s 1978 solo to feature him alone on lead vocals. The only negative thing I can say is that I don’t care for the digipack pyramid packaging. It was very cool to see that Anomaly is dedicated to Ace’s family, friends, and fans and is in memory of Eric Carr and Dimebag Darrell. It was also cool to see a thank you in the liner notes to Gene, Paul, and Peter. Would have been cool to see some sort of acknowledgement to Jon Regan, Tod Howarth, Richie Scarlet, or any mention of the Comet; at least Anton Fig was mentioned.
The production on Anomaly is fantastic; the guitars and vocals sound great! I’m amazed at how good Ace sounds. His vocals sound as good as they did when he was half the age he is today and his guitar work is scorching! I can hear hints of work from his 1978 solo album, Unmasked, Frehley’s Comet and Trouble Walkin’. There’s a great variety of music here from heavy to pop; heavily distorted guitars to acoustic. Too Many Faces and Sister are the standout tracks and the latest Fractured tune is the best of the four.
I’m not disappointed at all and this has exceeded all expectations; highly recommended.