Carmine Appice isn’t done raiding the rock and roll hall of fame. The drum legend and his reformed Cactus are back with ‘Temple Of Blues II – All Stars’, the follow-up to 2024’s ‘Temple Of Blues: Influences And Friends’, and the guest list reads like a summit of heavy music royalty.
Returning from volume one are Ted Nugent, Billy Sheehan, Bumblefoot, Dee Snider, and Pat Travers. Joining them this time around are Deep Purple’s Steve Morse, Rainbow and Deep Purple’s Joe Lynn Turner, Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot’s Rudy Sarzo, Testament’s Alex Skolnick, and many more across an 11-track lineup of thunderous blues rock.
The lead single is a 2-part “Back Door Man” featuring Sheehan, Eric Gales, and Artie Dillon. Appice put it plainly: “When we finished ‘Back Door Man’ and listened to the whole mix, it blew me away. Billy and Eric are amazing together on top of my drums.” That enthusiasm comes through in the recording, a savage, locked-in performance from 3 players operating at full force.
The album digs deep into blues rock’s backbone, with Dee Snider and Tracii Guns tearing through “The Little Red Rooster,” Pat Travers returning for “Moanin’ At Midnight,” and Ted Nugent and Bob Daisley delivering an astonishing take on “Spoonful.” Joe Lynn Turner joins Morse, Tony Franklin, and Dream Theater’s Derek Sherinian for “Bad Stuff,” one of the album’s most layered moments.
The tracklist also carries real historical weight. “Purple Haze” reunites Cactus with Melanie, recalling the summer of 1970 when both acts performed at the Isle of Wight Festival alongside Jimi Hendrix, the original headliner. Oft-described as America’s Led Zeppelin, Cactus debuted that same year with an immediate impact on the live circuit, and ‘Temple Of Blues II’ ties directly back to those roots.
Tracklist:
- Back Door Man Pt. 1 & 2 featuring Eric Gales & Billy Sheehan
- 300 Pounds Of Joy featuring Ty Tabor
- Moanin’ At Midnight featuring Pat Travers
- Down In The Bottom featuring Dug Pinnick
- Token Chokin’ featuring Bumblefoot
- Bad Stuff featuring Steve Morse, Joe Lynn Turner, Derek Sherinian & Tony Franklin
- Tail Dragger featuring Rudy Sarzo & Alex Skolnick
- The Little Red Rooster featuring Dee Snider, Tracii Guns, Jimmy Haslip
- Purple Haze featuring Melanie
- Spoonful featuring Ted Nugent & Bob Daisley
- Feel So Good featuring Billy Sheehan & Britt Lightning (CD Bonus Track)