Ace Frehley on feeling better off since leaving Kiss: "Paul and Gene have tried to destroy my reputation over the years. And unfortunately for them my new record is going to make them look like imbeciles"

Ace Frehley
(Image credit: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

Ace Frehley has declared that he believes his forthcoming new album, 10,000 Volts, will make his former bandmates “look like imbeciles”.

In a new interview with Guitar World, the co-founding former Kiss guitarist was quick to air his ill-feeling towards his ex-band members, sharing how the apparent high-quality of his new project is his way of getting back at them.

"Paul and Gene have tried to destroy my reputation over the years – we know that," he says. "And unfortunately for them, 10,000 Volts is going to make them look like imbeciles".

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“Kiss hasn’t put out a record since 2012 [Monster], and here I am, 17 years sober, and it’s my sixth record since leaving Kiss" he adds. "I keep chugging along, and nobody can stop me. Creating amazing music is the best way to combat someone putting you down. That’s how I shut them up.”

Elsewhere, Frehley displays his competitive nature when it comes to comparing his success against his former band, noting: “I was on YouTube last night and I noticed that the music video for 10,000 Volts is creeping up on half a million views.

“Then I checked on a video of one of Kiss’s final live shows, and they didn't have close to that.”

Speaking of the forthcoming record, Frehley throws in another comparison, adding: “Not to focus on the past, but the songs on 10,000 Volts are reminiscent of the hard yet pop rock songs from Kiss’s Rock and Roll Over

"There’s no bullshit in any of these songs. There’s no filler and zero wasted space. Steve was great about helping me trim the fat.”

The musician has made his dislike for the legendary glam metal band very well known over the last year, with the feud between them kicking off following comments made by Paul Stanley on why Kiss weren't keen on having Frehley perform alongside them at their Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction in 2014.

Back in March, Stanley quipped that getting original members Frehley and Peter Criss to perform at the ceremony would be "demeaning", adding: “‘Cause if you saw people onstage who looked like KISS but sounded like that, maybe we should be called PISS.”

In response, Frehley threatened to release “dirt” on the band if Stanley didn’t apologise, then later revealed that he didn’t apologise, but instead called to say “fuck you”.

Kiss performed their last ever show at Madison Square Garden on December 2 as part of their farewell End of the Road tour - a performance of which Frehley insists he was not invited to.

The glam legends have since revealed that they will be continuing their legacy as digital avatars, following in the footsteps of ABBA's highly-successful hologram experience ABBA Voyage. 

Unsurprisingly, Frehley was not impressed by the annoucement, describing in an  interview with German rock radio station Rock Antenne [transcribed by Blabbermouth], that the idea was "not rock and roll", adding that it looks "geared towards children".

Ace Frehley's new album 10,000 Volts will arrive on February 4. 

Liz Scarlett

Liz works on keeping the Louder sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.

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