When word reached Billy Graziadei that Ace Frehley had passed, the shock hit him mid-sentence. “No way, dude. This is the first I’m hearing that. Wow,” he said quietly, pausing to let it sink in. For the Biohazard frontman — a kid from Brooklyn who would later redefine hardcore with a band that fused metal, punk, and hip-hop — Ace wasn’t just a guitar hero. He was a spark.
“Kiss was the first band I ever loved,” Graziadei said. “I’ve got so many Kiss stories. We had the honor of opening up for them at one of the reunion shows in England.” He laughs, remembering his childhood home full of brothers who divided up the band like superhero alter-egos. “There were four of us. I was Gene. My brother Mark was Paul. My brother Michael — who’s an accomplished musician — was Ace. Keith was Peter Criss.”
For Graziadei, Ace was the ultimate embodiment of mystery and rebellion. “His solo record was my favorite,” he said. “For so many years, I thought he was literally from outer space. I believed that as a little kid.” That belief became a kind of religion for him — the idea that music could make you feel bigger than your world, that it could transport you.
“That was the first record I ever got — a gift from my grandmother,” he recalled. “She prayed I wasn’t going to fall victim to the dark side buying me that record. She couldn’t believe it.” He laughs, the memory still vivid. “After wearing out my father’s Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones records, I needed my own band. Kiss was that band.”
Now, decades later, the news hits differently. “I hope it’s not true,” Graziadei said, his tone softening. “But unfortunately, the line that we’re all in, you move closer to the front of the line, and it’s sad to see people you look up to go.”
Still, for a generation of kids with cheap guitars and big dreams, Ace Frehley was proof that rock and roll could be larger than life — and for Billy Graziadei, that light still shines.
Watch SNSMIX.com’s interview with Billy from Biohazard: