Ace Frehley -10,000 Volts (MNRK) [Rich Piva]
I have been a Kiss fan since I was three years old, starting right after my great grandmother bought me a Kiss sleeping bag that I still own till this day. They have always been one of my favorite bands, with Ace Frehley being my favorite member. Ace’s history is well chronicled in the band, but to me he was one of the best and most unique players of the 1970s.
Ace songs were always great and Rip It Out remains a top five Kiss song of mine of all time. I even dig the Frehley’s Comet stuff and he has had a pretty successful solo career renaissance over the last ten or so years. So yes, I am very excited for his new record, 10,000 Volts. Ace’s solo records are never perfect, and this one is not either, but the good is great, and conversely the bad is very bad.
Let’s start with the good. Ace’s voice sounds strong, and his playing is still excellent. The title track rocks and is super catchy. Walkin’ On The Moon offers a nice one two punch opening the album, with more great playing and a track that sounds like it could have been on Unmasked (this is a complement, do not take it any other way because Unmasked is awesome).
Cosmic Heart is another good song, but here is where we hit some negatives. This album is way overproduced. The chorus of this one being the prime example. If they left the layers off the vocals here and just went with Ace’s unique delivery it would have been so much better. But that solo rips, so there’s that.
Overall, 10,000 Volts is way too much when it comes to production, like Frontiers Records level of overproduction, and it does the songs an injustice. Cherry Medicine is next, and where I have been saying his vocals have been strong, this one is an exception. He sounds strange in the opening of this one, but it is still a nice catchy hard rock Ace style song, which you never want to be too serious in concept, so go and wear your black leather Cherry. I have no complaints with the ballad Back Into My Arms Again and Fightin’ For Life reminds me of when he would do his version of Hide Your Heart, so yeah, I dig it, and it kind of rips too.
After this is where we have a total shit sandwich. Blinded is not good and is some kind of waring that science and technology is going to take over the world or something. This is Ace having some PTSD paranoia, I think. Whatever it is I would have left it off. Nine instead of eleven tracks would have been fine. What would be the other track I would have left on the cutting room floor you ask? Well, that is the absolute abomination that is Constantly Cute, which could possible be the worst song I have heard in the last five years. Cringy would not come close to what this song elicits. Whoever told him that this song was a good idea should be publicly shamed. I am shuddering just thinking about having to hear this track again. Ok, I am done now. The last three tracks are solid, with Up In The Sky standing out, with a riff that reminds me of his biggest hit, New York Groove.
So, in summary, 10,000 Volts is an Ace solo record. That pretty much sums it up. His playing is great as usual, his voice sounds (mostly) strong when it is not sounding weird, the songwriting is Ace, which is always hit or miss and never too deep, which he should never try to do, because when he does you get a song like Blinded. The hits are strong, and the misses are, in some cases, songs that should never have seen the light of day Constantly Cute), but there is nothing on 10,000 Volts that you could say would shock me, so if you are an Ace fan, do not hesitate to check this out. 7/10
Thorndale - Lightning Spawn (Self Released) [Rich Piva]
If you are in the market for a quick blast of straight-ahead stoner rock check out the new and first full length from Dutch band Thorndale, Lightning Spawn. Clocking in at just over 28 minutes, the LP versus EP discussion is real, but what is not up for debate is the high quality of the six tracks on Lightning Born that will surely be enjoyed by fans who like this sort of stuff, me being the primary example.
We go groove and we got riffs across the six songs, and you get both on the opening title track. The guitar work is excellent, and the production is spot on, with this track being a glowing example. Ain’t The End Of My Rope has a very doom inspired riff to kick it off and has a doomy grunge feel overall, especially the riff that kicks off the more up-tempo part of the track. I have a feeling the vocals won’t connect with everyone, but I dig them. Born As A Stranger is a more straight-ahead stoner ripper, with more sweet riffs and I especially like the addition of the background vocals on this one. I dig the filthy riff that opens I Accuse You, sounding something from the book of Cantrell.
The song is some AIC worship for sure, until the stoner gallop kicks in and you are in Horseburner territory. This is probably my favourite track on Lightning Spawn and the best vocal performance amongst the six tracks. Into The Eyes Of Old is the fastest song on Lightning Spawn and has more of those riffs I was mentioning. This track reminds me a bit of Sandviess, which if you are not familiar is a really good thing. Fuzzy and crunchy, Foreboding is another strong track, with a nice groove, a killer hook, and some screams strategically placed.
Thorndale gets it, and their debut full length is a workshop in killer, straight-ahead stoner rock goodness. Check out Lightning Spawn as it is a super solid debut from a band that I expect big things from. 8/10
Nemedian Chronicles - The Savage Sword (No Remorse Records) [Matt Bladen]
Another band inspired by Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age, so it’s loincloths, broadswords and magical wizards, delivered with macho, oiled up heavy metal ala Manowar. Inspired by the Cimmerian tales from these fantasy classics, The Savage Sword is 70 minutes of epic heavy metal and while you listen you’ll feel yourself get more ripped so your 8 pack can glisten in the sun.
It’s the debut from Nemedian Chronicles, who take their name from stories written by Howard, and who I immediately thought were German but no, they hail (and kill) from Toulouse, which I assume has no place for false metal. Where they stretch the sounds of the USA’s most manly band is that they use Joris Blanchard’s keyboards to bring in the influence of “Ennio Morricone or Basil Poledouris giving a cinematic touch in their epic concept”, though they fall back on traditions by having a bass player as the main writer of these battle hymns.
The grandiose theatrics of Manowar are there, but Nemedian Chronicles take more musically from Blind Guardian. Guillaume Lefebvre leads his warriors through the 12 tracks and with each one the stories of Conan and the Hyborean Age, his bass playing low and driving alongside the rhythm playing of Thomas Tesseidre and drumming of Thibault Faijan, rounding out the rhythmic trifecta.
With the melodies from the keys comes David Royer’s lead guitars as emotive as they are shreddy, vocalist Alexandre Duffau’s possesses a voice very similar to Hansi Kursch of Blind Guardian, joined on few songs by a female singer. The Savage Sword is an adventurous epic metal record and if you like anything written by Howard or Blind Guardian/Manowar you’ll enjoy what’s on offer. 7/10
Dust Bolt - Sound & Fury (AFM Records) [Matt Bladen]The pandemic did weird things to people. It made celebrities sing on the internet, TV shows all got screens and no audiences and it made every band in the world head to the studio to record albums.