Frehley's Comet [CD]

In 1978, all four members of KISS released solo albums on the same day. Of these four solo albums, lead guitarist Ace Frehley's was by far the best one. It beautifully demonstrated that the guitarist was an even better musician than the peers he played with in the band. And nine years later, Ace put together a new solo band - appropriately entitled Frehley's Comet. And in 1987, the new band released its first album. How does Ace Frehley's first non-KISS recording in nearly a decade measure up? Read on for my review.

The first thing I need to state is that this album, while excellent, sounds NOTHING like KISS. If you're looking for hard classic rock similar to KISS's stylings, you've come to the wrong place. However, if you're a fan of power rock bands like Whitesnake and Blue Murder, you're going to love this band. Two excellent arena rockers, Rock Soldiers and We Got Your Rock, can be found on this album. These rockers beautifully demonstrate that Mr. Frehley isn't about to be done rocking! Track by track, Ace serves up power rock tunes that, while similar, all manage to maintain a sense of individuality. And just so there's no confusion, Breakout is NOT the same song as the Bon Jovi one, and Stranger In A Strange Land is NOT the Iron Maiden song. The most obscure tune on the album is Dolls, a classic power rocker that employs keyboards and other elements of eighties new wave. Surprisingly this works well! It's my favorite track on the album. On Ace Frehley's KISS-era solo album, you may remember a melodic instrumental called Shattered Mirror that closed the album. Obviously Ace was satisfied with that track, because the closing track on this album, Fractured Too, is a follow-up to that classic. It's the best kind of melodic rock instrumental that you can do. All in all, forty minutes of rock excellence.

Frehley's Comet, though VERY different from Ace's old band, is still an excellent one. If you're just buying this because you "like KISS", you might be disappointed though. But if you love power rock and/or you're a KISS fan with an open mind, Frehley's Comet is the way to go. Though certainly nothing revolutionary, this is a great album worthy of a place in any power rock library.