Temple Of Blues II: All Stars
Cactus
Temple Of Blues II: All Stars is a 2026 guest‑packed blues‑rock album by Carmine Appice’s revived Cactus, released April 3 on Cleopatra as a sequel to 2024’s Temple Of Blues – Influences & Friends. With Appice the sole original member, the record is built around his huge, Bonham‑like drum sound and gritty, ’70s‑style arrangements, then supercharged by an “all‑star” cast that includes Eric Gales, Billy Sheehan, Ty Tabor, Pat Travers, Dug Pinnick, Dee Snider, Tracii Guns, Steve Morse, Joe Lynn Turner, Rudy Sarzo, Alex Skolnick, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Derek Sherinian, and others. Rather than new originals, the album is a loving run through electric Chicago blues standards and related material, treated as loud, modern hard‑blues jams that nod back to Cactus’s early‑’70s reputation as “America’s Led Zeppelin.”
The tracklist opens with a two‑part “Back Door Man” featuring Gales and Sheehan, who trade ferocious guitar and bass runs over Appice’s stomping groove, setting the tone for the album’s high‑octane approach. From there, the band and guests tear through “300 Pounds of Joy” (with King’s X’s Ty Tabor), “Moanin’ At Midnight” (Pat Travers), “Down In The Bottom” (Dug Pinnick), and Willie Dixon chestnuts like “The Little Red Rooster,” where Dee Snider and Tracii Guns turn the song into a snarling, metal‑edged shuffle. Later highlights include a emotive “Purple Haze” built around vocals Melanie recorded before her death in 2024, a heavy, solo‑studded “Spoonful” with Ted Nugent and Bob Daisley, and CD‑only bonus track “Feel So Good,” which pairs Sheehan with guitarist Britt Lightning for a climactic rave‑up. Reviewers describe Temple Of Blues II: All Stars as a raucous and affectionate celebration of electric blues history—less about subtle reinterpretation than about hearing generations of rock players cut loose together over classic riffs, with Appice’s drumming and the Cactus name providing the through‑line.
Temple Of Blues II: All Stars is a 2026 guest‑packed blues‑rock album by Carmine Appice’s revived Cactus, released April 3 on Cleopatra as a sequel to 2024’s Temple Of Blues – Influences & Friends. With Appice the sole original member, the record is built around his huge, Bonham‑like drum sound and gritty, ’70s‑style arrangements, then supercharged by an “all‑star” cast that includes Eric Gales, Billy Sheehan, Ty Tabor, Pat Travers, Dug Pinnick, Dee Snider, Tracii Guns, Steve Morse, Joe Lynn Turner, Rudy Sarzo, Alex Skolnick, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Derek Sherinian, and others. Rather than new originals, the album is a loving run through electric Chicago blues standards and related material, treated as loud, modern hard‑blues jams that nod back to Cactus’s early‑’70s reputation as “America’s Led Zeppelin.”
The tracklist opens with a two‑part “Back Door Man” featuring Gales and Sheehan, who trade ferocious guitar and bass runs over Appice’s stomping groove, setting the tone for the album’s high‑octane approach. From there, the band and guests tear through “300 Pounds of Joy” (with King’s X’s Ty Tabor), “Moanin’ At Midnight” (Pat Travers), “Down In The Bottom” (Dug Pinnick), and Willie Dixon chestnuts like “The Little Red Rooster,” where Dee Snider and Tracii Guns turn the song into a snarling, metal‑edged shuffle. Later highlights include a emotive “Purple Haze” built around vocals Melanie recorded before her death in 2024, a heavy, solo‑studded “Spoonful” with Ted Nugent and Bob Daisley, and CD‑only bonus track “Feel So Good,” which pairs Sheehan with guitarist Britt Lightning for a climactic rave‑up. Reviewers describe Temple Of Blues II: All Stars as a raucous and affectionate celebration of electric blues history—less about subtle reinterpretation than about hearing generations of rock players cut loose together over classic riffs, with Appice’s drumming and the Cactus name providing the through‑line.
Temple Of Blues II: All Stars
Cactus
Temple Of Blues II: All Stars is a 2026 guest‑packed blues‑rock album by Carmine Appice’s revived Cactus, released April 3 on Cleopatra as a sequel to 2024’s Temple Of Blues – Influences & Friends. With Appice the sole original member, the record is built around his huge, Bonham‑like drum sound and gritty, ’70s‑style arrangements, then supercharged by an “all‑star” cast that includes Eric Gales, Billy Sheehan, Ty Tabor, Pat Travers, Dug Pinnick, Dee Snider, Tracii Guns, Steve Morse, Joe Lynn Turner, Rudy Sarzo, Alex Skolnick, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Derek Sherinian, and others. Rather than new originals, the album is a loving run through electric Chicago blues standards and related material, treated as loud, modern hard‑blues jams that nod back to Cactus’s early‑’70s reputation as “America’s Led Zeppelin.”
The tracklist opens with a two‑part “Back Door Man” featuring Gales and Sheehan, who trade ferocious guitar and bass runs over Appice’s stomping groove, setting the tone for the album’s high‑octane approach. From there, the band and guests tear through “300 Pounds of Joy” (with King’s X’s Ty Tabor), “Moanin’ At Midnight” (Pat Travers), “Down In The Bottom” (Dug Pinnick), and Willie Dixon chestnuts like “The Little Red Rooster,” where Dee Snider and Tracii Guns turn the song into a snarling, metal‑edged shuffle. Later highlights include a emotive “Purple Haze” built around vocals Melanie recorded before her death in 2024, a heavy, solo‑studded “Spoonful” with Ted Nugent and Bob Daisley, and CD‑only bonus track “Feel So Good,” which pairs Sheehan with guitarist Britt Lightning for a climactic rave‑up. Reviewers describe Temple Of Blues II: All Stars as a raucous and affectionate celebration of electric blues history—less about subtle reinterpretation than about hearing generations of rock players cut loose together over classic riffs, with Appice’s drumming and the Cactus name providing the through‑line.
Temple Of Blues II: All Stars is a 2026 guest‑packed blues‑rock album by Carmine Appice’s revived Cactus, released April 3 on Cleopatra as a sequel to 2024’s Temple Of Blues – Influences & Friends. With Appice the sole original member, the record is built around his huge, Bonham‑like drum sound and gritty, ’70s‑style arrangements, then supercharged by an “all‑star” cast that includes Eric Gales, Billy Sheehan, Ty Tabor, Pat Travers, Dug Pinnick, Dee Snider, Tracii Guns, Steve Morse, Joe Lynn Turner, Rudy Sarzo, Alex Skolnick, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Derek Sherinian, and others. Rather than new originals, the album is a loving run through electric Chicago blues standards and related material, treated as loud, modern hard‑blues jams that nod back to Cactus’s early‑’70s reputation as “America’s Led Zeppelin.”
The tracklist opens with a two‑part “Back Door Man” featuring Gales and Sheehan, who trade ferocious guitar and bass runs over Appice’s stomping groove, setting the tone for the album’s high‑octane approach. From there, the band and guests tear through “300 Pounds of Joy” (with King’s X’s Ty Tabor), “Moanin’ At Midnight” (Pat Travers), “Down In The Bottom” (Dug Pinnick), and Willie Dixon chestnuts like “The Little Red Rooster,” where Dee Snider and Tracii Guns turn the song into a snarling, metal‑edged shuffle. Later highlights include a emotive “Purple Haze” built around vocals Melanie recorded before her death in 2024, a heavy, solo‑studded “Spoonful” with Ted Nugent and Bob Daisley, and CD‑only bonus track “Feel So Good,” which pairs Sheehan with guitarist Britt Lightning for a climactic rave‑up. Reviewers describe Temple Of Blues II: All Stars as a raucous and affectionate celebration of electric blues history—less about subtle reinterpretation than about hearing generations of rock players cut loose together over classic riffs, with Appice’s drumming and the Cactus name providing the through‑line.