Music

Carmine Appice’s Cactus Stream “The Little Red Rooster” Featuring Dee Snider and Tracii Guns Ahead of ‘Temple of Blues II: All-Stars’

Mar 19, 2026

Carmine Appice is not done with the blues. Cactus, the band he reformed a few years back, has announced ‘Temple of Blues II: All-Stars,’ due April 3, and the first taste is a hard-hitting new recording of the blues classic “The Little Red Rooster” featuring Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider on lead vocals and Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns on guitar. It hits hard and sounds exactly as good as that lineup suggests.

“It was great working on ‘The Little Red Rooster’ with Dee and Tracii,” said Appice. “It was such an honor to have Dee on the song and to have him make an appearance in the video, especially since he’s retired now. The song Rocks!” The track came together organically, with Appice arranging from the drums up before bringing in the full cast, including James Haslip, who helped finish the song.

The album is stacked. Across ten tracks (plus a CD-only bonus), Cactus assembled a guest list that reads like a hard rock hall of fame: Eric Gales, Billy Sheehan, Pat Travers, Dug Pinnick, Steve Morse, Joe Lynn Turner, Rudy Sarzo, Alex Skolnick, Ted Nugent, and more. Notably, “Purple Haze” features vocals from Melanie, recorded before her passing in 2024, reuniting two acts that shared the bill at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival.

The original Cactus debuted that same year, often described as America’s Led Zeppelin. ‘Temple of Blues II: All-Stars’ traces directly back to that origin, pulling from the same deep blues well that launched the band more than five decades ago. The sequel to 2024’s ‘Temple of Blues’ lands as a serious all-star statement.

‘Temple of Blues II: All-Stars’ is available to pre-order now on CD and LP. It arrives April 3.

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