Music Review: Ex-Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley’s new album is an ‘Anomaly’ 20 years in the making

Music Review: An ‘Anomaly’: Album from Ace Frehley

Ace Frehley “Anomaly” (Bronx Born)

Guns ‘N Roses has nothing on Ace Frehley when it comes to lengthy album delays. The 17 years it took to finish “Chinese Democracy” was generally considered the gold standard of rock ‘n’ roll procrastination.

Until now.

The former Kiss guitarist took 20 years to finish “Anomaly,” his fourth solo studio album and first since 1989’s “Trouble Walkin’ “

And yes, it was worth the wait.

In between a five-year Kiss reunion and recurring battles with the bottle, Frehley picked away at his new album, emerging with a disc that evokes the sprit and fire of his self-titled 1978 solo album. That disc was the most successful of the four Kiss solo albums that were simultaneously released, and the only one to spawn a hit single in “New York Groove.”

He kicks things off with “Foxy And Free,” an in-your-face rocker that packs a powerful punch. The next track, “Outer Space,” plays on his role as the Spaceman in Kiss, and adds a heavier bottom groove.

Frehley serves up a smoking cover of Sweet’s 1970s hit “Fox On The Run” that starts with his trademark guitar toggle-switch noodling. “Space Bear,” an ode to the stuffed animal he sits atop his wall of Marshall amps in concert, is the best of three instrumentals on the disc.

“Anomaly” shows why Frehley is one of the most influential guitarists in rock history — and why Kiss remains a pale imitation without him.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: “Sister,” an unreleased track Frehley played on his 1995 solo tour, finally surfaces on an album in all its thunderous, dissonant glory.