In a recent interview with Guitar World, Ace Frehley shared his perspective on his former bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, likening their actions to being led by producer Bob Ezrin during the recording sessions of the album ‘Destroyer.’

The conversation arose from Frehley’s comparison of his guitar solo on the track ‘Sweet Pain’ with that of session musician Dick Wagner. In the ‘Destroyer Resurrected’ edition, released for the 35th anniversary of ‘Destroyer,’ Ace’s original solo was reinstated, contrasting with the initial album where Wagner’s solo was featured. When asked about his preference between the two solos, the guitarist responded:

“I’d have to listen to it, hang on [Ace pauses to listen to his version of ‘Sweet Pain’]. You like my solo better than Dick’s, huh? Well, Dick was a great player, and he did a great solo, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with mine [Laughs]. But I’ll be honest – I don’t remember recording it [Laughs].”

Reflecting on the substitution of his solo in the original ‘Destroyer’ album, he added:

“I think they took my solo out to punish me for being late. It was a political move that Bob Ezrin made when he said, ‘Ace has got to be taught a lesson,’ and Gene and Paul followed him like puppets. They were always control freaks, and I was always the dude who drank too much and was late too many times. But even with all the nonsense, we were still friends and did get along to that point.”