Ace Frehley says his new album will “embarrass” Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons

Ace Frehley has been discussing his new album in an interview with Cassius Morris, claiming that it will “embarrass” his former Kiss bandmates Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.

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When asked how he feels about his own recording career outlasting that of his former bandmates, he says, speaking to Cassius Morris, “Well, getting sober was probably one of the major stepping stones for me to keep myself going. I’m much healthier now than I was 10, 15 years ago.

“But Paul and Gene, over the years, have always kind of dragged my name through the mud. To try to validate the fact that they had Tommy Thayer in the band, they used to make statements. You can look ’em up in videos – there are dozens of ’em – where they say, ‘Oh, Ace wasn’t up for the job.’ ‘Ace was unemployable.’ ‘He was always late.’ And that got to me. And to this day, it still bothers me, but it doesn’t hold water.”

Frehley is releasing his latest solo album 10,000 Volts – his first since 2020’s Origins Vol. 2 – on 23 February. He says of the record, “I made this statement before this record even started. I said, ‘This album’s gonna embarrass them,’ because they can’t do a record this good. I dare them to.”

Last month, the former Kiss guitarist commented on Thayer, who took over from him in the band in 2002 – though did praise his guitar playing. “A guy like Tommy Thayer – who I like and is a great player – will play perfectly with no mistakes,” he said at the time. “But is that what you want? Tommy will never be me, and no one can play like me. I take pride in that. That’s rock ‘n’ roll.”

He called himself a “sloppy fucking guitar player”, saying, “I’ll be the first to admit that. I make mistakes, and shit happens – especially live. I play the songs how they’re meant to be played. I deliver the classic Kiss songs and my solo songs how you remember them.”

You can watch Frehley’s interview here: