Customer Reviews

Anomaly [Vinyl]

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

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.

The GOD of classic rock guitar has returned and does it with passion and power. I am blown away by the talent and emotion put into this album. In a time where it's about airplay, copies sold and sounding current, Ace has shown what he's made of. He's combined killer riffs, intense blistering solos and fantastic melodies into the best hard rock album in years. It is what rock and roll is supposed to be and most new artists cannot produce something like this. This is rock, not manufactured music. Listen to the raw power of SPACE BEAR, the instrumental brilliance of FRACTURED QUANTUM, and the genious of GENGHIS KHAN. Then you have balls out rockers: SISTER, PAIN IN THE NECK and FOXY AND FREE, along side the moving song A LITTLE BELOW THE ANGELS and the catchy fun cover of FOX ON THE RUN. It all comes together into a solid rock effort worthy of alot of praise. THIS IS HARD ROCK PRODUCED BY AN ARTIST WHO BELEIVES IN THE MUSIC. ACE, THANK YOU FOR THIS MASTERPIECE. AN INSTANT CLASSIC.

Ace was said to have been working on a new album way back even before the reunion tour. After all these years, I had to wonder if Ace still had the goods. I had no idea that "Anomaly" would rock this hard. True Rock and Roll may be slowly dying, but if so Ace Frehley is the last man standing. And not only is he holding down the fort, he is kicking @$$ all over the place. I have not heard a Rock album this fresh, this energizing, and this solid from start to finish in many, many years. Ace deserves all the credit in the world for pulling this off. There is not a bad track or any filler to be found on this record. The only bad thing I can say about it is that it makes you sad to think about what "Psycho Circus" could have been if Ace had been allowed more input on that album. It's hard to single out the great tracks here, but I haven't heard anything that rocks like "Sister" in a long time. "Ghengis Khan" is absolutely unique and amazing. The "Fox on the Run" single is also brilliant. It's rare that a cover bests the original, but this one does. The highlight for me though is "Fractured Quantum". I've always loved Ace's Fractured series, and this one is especially sublime. I really hope this album finds a wide audience, this man deserves his due!

Surprise, surprise!! Aceman RIPS on this record. This is, so far, the best rock release Ive heard this year. Really, who else has anything out like this?

The guitars sounds are KILLER..big massive Les Paul tones with shimmers of clean electrics and acoustics laying back behind it all. Surprised at the quality of his vocals as well - glad he still has it in him.

Favorite cuts are the opener, Foxy & Free, Pain In The Neck (check out his killer classic Ace solo), Ghenghis Kahn (Page would be proud) and Fractured Quantum, which hints at his classic 78 Fractured Mirror.

I've been an Ace fan since early Kiss (75-79), but then lost him in a haze of 80's 90's mediocrity.

Believe me, he's back. Very impressive release.

MAN, OH MAN! This interesting, quality release has it ALL! Rawness, teeth clenching grit, attitude, great power chords/progressions, killer leads (even bluesy at times), feedback, reverb, sundry guitar effects, acoustic guitar parts, fun ACE lyrics, etc. Even the great 'Sweet' cover, 'Fox On The Run' sounds great with ACE's signature on it. And if that's not enough, you've gotta love his half spoken/half sung 'street vocals' that became part of KISS's staple sound on great songs like 'Shock Me', 'Rocket Ride', 'Hard Times', 'Save Your Love', 'Two Sides Of The Coin', etc. It's as if ACE has magically tapped into all his past creativity and successes to come out with this rock GEM! NO 'filler material' here. The rock LEGEND lives! THANK YOU ACE!

Well Well Well. Who would have thought that Ace would be putting out a awesome cd in 2009? Anomally is the best release I have bought this year it totally rocks as well as showing another side of Ace. So glad he has been sober now for 3 years his music here sure shows it. I will go as far in saying that Anomally is a better album then his solo album and that should say it all. Anomaly is Awesome Guitar Rock! 5 STARS.

I won't take up much space. I am a huge Ace fan and always have been. However, even I didn't like some of his solo tracks through the years, but I bought them all and played them from time to time simply because it was Ace. I am sure I wasn't the only one and you guys know what I am talkin' about. However, this album has some of the best tracks Ace has put out since "Rock Soldiers" came on Headbangers Ball on MTV (back then music was music). Ace plays solidly and he continues to have the same sound but his playing sounds stronger and more varied. "A Little Lower Than The Angels", "Foxy and Free", "Outer Space" a excellent re-make of a song that has been played to death "Fox On The Run" (but Ace makes it sound good) and a jammin' instrumental with great drum work and a great solo make this CD worth buying. Hear me out, his voice is better than it has been in years. Believe me, buy this one and you will find at least 3 or 4 songs that you will play alot. Ace is not the greatest guitarist in my book, but he is without a doubt my favorite and the best member to ever play for KISS.

...close your eyes and try to forget THAT band Ace was in. Have you done it yet? No??? OK. Try it again. How about now? Good.

Step 2: Forget that OTHER mid-80's band Ace was in. You know, the one with the name "Comet" in it. Have you blocked it out? Not yet. Still jamming to "The Acorn is Spinning" in your head? That's ok. Let it play.

Is your head clear yet??? Good. The final step? Put this CD in your stereo and judge it as if this is the first time you are hearing this artist named Ace Frehley.

In my opinion, this is a great rock record that not only showcases Ace's influences, but highlights his talents as a singer/songwriter.

It is safe to say that Ace must be rather proud that he has finally created an album for himself on his own terms. It is on his own "Bronx Born" label, which means he has complete control over the marketing of the product; there are no stereotypical radio friendly hit singles, per se, and the album itself was produced by Ace. (Minus Marti Frederiksen's production on "Fox on the Run.")

When it comes to straight forward rock, no one does it better than Frehley. "Outer Space" is sonically huge and aggressive, while other cuts like "Genghis Khan" & "Sister" serve to remind the younger generation of axe slingers who it is they need to pay their respects to.

The beauty of this album is that Ace seems to finally be at peace with himself and his past. "A Little Below the Angels" is reminiscent of a young Alice Cooper singing "I Never Cry." However, Ace tips his songwriting hat to Alice without sounding like a second rate version of him. Let's face it; Alice drank himself insane while Ace drank himself silly and wrecked a car or two.

The lyrics that stick out the most in "A Little Below the Angels" are as follows: "Well, I don't know if I'll make it to Heaven; just open the gates of Hell." He is pretty much admitting that he has made his mistakes and has offered up his apologies for his past, ad naseum. There is not much more he can do beyond this point. Either forgive him and move on or step aside and let him enjoy his new lease on life.

"Change the World" and "It's a Great Life" give the listener a peek into the mind of a man who has come full circle, who knows life beyond the bottle and beyond the distorted trappings of fame.

What also makes this album unique is that the listener is given not one, BUT two instrumental tracks that are vastly different from one another. "Space Bear" is a straight forward piece of rock genius that is solid from start to finish. "Fractured Quantum" is a beautiful piece of music with very rich texture and lots of layered guitars. It is truly a great way to end a perfect album.

So, with that being said, listen to "Anomaly" with a fresh set of ears. Forget everything else you have known about Ace Frehley up to this point. Give this album a fair chance and see who this man really is. You won't be disappointed.

I know I wasn't disappointed.

Thank you, Ace. It was worth waiting 20 years for, my friend.