Speaking exclusively to Rock Candy Mag as part of an in-depth 14-page cover story, founder member and much-loved guitarist Ace Frehley explained to writer Andrew Daly why he never made it on stage one last time with KISS for their final show at Madison Square Garden last December after last leaving the band back in 2002.

“Fans would constantly reach out to me and say, ‘Ace, please come back to the band,’ Frehley explained. “So the fans were and are my primary motivators, and I want them to know that I did try, but I couldn’t make it happen. They never asked me.”

Frehley dismisses the idea that his well-documented troubles with drugs and alcohol could ever have been a reason for former bandmates and KISS leaders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley not reaching out to him. “I’m sober, and all my friends and associates will tell you as much,” he states categorically. “I got to the point in life where drugs and alcohol had taken me over, and I’m just so happy to be away from all that.”

Despite the much-reported rifts with Simmons and Stanley over many years, nevertheless Frehley insists that he still has affection for both of them. “I want people to know that I do love Paul and Gene,” he says. “I wish things would have been different, but it wasn’t to be…”

Nor does Frehley hold any animosity towards his replacement Tommy Thayer. “He’s a good guy and deserves a break. He’s not me, but he was never going to be me. In a lot of ways, his task was impossible.”

With a new solo album, 10,000 Volts, about to be released, Frehley is excited about his future away from the band that made him a star.

“My new music will be a smash hit,” he insists. “The cheques might not be flying in, but I’m satisfied with what I’m doing musically. I can wake up each day and know that my soul is mine… I got my soul and my music back.”

You can read the 14-page Ace Frehley special, together with many other fascinating stories about Megadeth, Foghat, Madam X, Damn Yankees, and more in issue 42 of Rock Candy Mag. For more details visit rockcandymag.com.

Ace has announced a signing session at Sam Ash Music in New York City on February 24.

Says Frehley, "Pre-order the Sam Ash NYC In-Store Exclusive Bubblegum vinyl variant of my new album 10,000 Volts and you'll get to meet me in person at Sam Ash Music (W34th St. New York, NY) on Saturday Feb 24, 2024."

Further details here.

Ace Frehley's 10,000 Volts, out February 23, was produced by Ace and Steve Brown (Trixter). The 11-track album sees Ace perform electrifying, hard-hitting, riff-heavy rock'n' roll.

Speaking with VRP Rocks about the new record, Ace reveals, "I'm very happy with the way the record turned out. Now, a lot of times I've recorded records where sometimes, you know, you look at three or four songs on the album and you consider them not as good as some of the other ones and you kind of consider them as filler. But I don't think there's any filler on this album. I think every song has merit to it."

Later during the chat, Ace adds: "I think it's one of the best albums I ever did. I mean, I think it's probably as good as my solo album in 1978, which everybody seems to think is my best album to date. But, I think this new album is equally as good as my 1978 solo album, and I think there's more than one hit single on the album. So, if I was a KISS fan or an Ace Frehley fan, I'd go out and buy it immediately when it's released on February 23rd, because you're in for a treat."

Ace offers a sneak peek into the making of 10,000 Volts, and the title track, with the behind the scenes video below:

The first single and title track was written and produced by Ace and Steve Brown, the track kicks off with a surging riff, and Ace's swaggering delivery takes hold and never lets go. It culminates on the chantable chorus, “She hit me like 10,000 volts, when I saw her face,” giving way to a fret-burning guitar solo. Stream/get the single here.

The accompanying visual for the single was directed by Alex Kouvatsos from Black Wolf Imaging and shows Ace and his band performing the powerful, riff-heavy track live. Watch below.

Rock ‘n’ roll and heavy metal simply wouldn’t sound, look, or feel the same without Ace Frehley. Among hundreds of accolades, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him in 2014 as a co-founder and the original lead guitarist of KISS. Guitar World named him in the Top 15 of its “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time” and plugged the lead from “Shock Me” on the “50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.” Magnifying the imprint of his catalog as a solo artist, Foo Fighters cut a fan favorite cover of “Ozone,” and he even jammed out “New York Groove” alongside The Roots on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The late Dimebag Darrell of Pantera proudly sported a tattoo of Frehley on his chest, while Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine celebrated him on X/Twitter as “My first guitar hero.”

Pre-order the new album here.

10,000 Volts tracklisting:

"10,000 Volts"
"Walkin’ On The Moon"
"Cosmic Heart"
"Cherry Medicine"
"Back Into My Arms Again"
"Fightin’ For Life"
"Blinded"
"Constantly Cute"
"Life Of A Stranger"
"Up In The Sky"
"Stratosphere"

"10,000 Volts" video:

Upcoming Ace Frehley tour dates are listed below. Traditional VIP Experience packages are available. Visit AceFrehley.com or scan the code in the poster below.

Dates:

March
2-6 - Miami, FL - Monsters Of Rock Cruise
28 - New York, NY - Sony Hall
29 - Woonsocket, RI - Stadium Theatre
30 - Rutland, VT - Paramount Theatre

April
12 - Rome, NY - Rome Capitol Theatre
13 - Carteret, NJ - Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center

June
28 - Marion, IL - Marion Cultural & Civic Center

(Photo - Jayme Thornton)