Supposed Washup Up Drummer Carmine Appice Succeeds in Running Up That Hill with The Appice Perdomo Project

May 15, 2023

Review by Bernard Romero

Carmine Appice is washed up. That’s not according to me and it’s hardly an established fact, but to Nikki Sixx, who was offended when being called out for not necessarily being part of the most “live” band touring today, it was the best retort he could muster. So apparently a guy whose resume is longer than the amount of actual bass notes played on Motley Crue’s last tour, has nothing left to offer. I disagree.

Even if that was true, the days (not hours) worth of music that he has produced, whether with King Kobra, Cactus, Vanilla Fudge, the little known Mother’s Army or even well known Rod Stewart, speaks more to his status than the opinion of some bass player. It’s worth noting that the bass player is now the last consistent member of a band that never did much for me. Although I can’t deny the mark it left in the annals of rock history, on behalf of Appice I’m feeling a little defensive.

With nothing he needs to prove to anyone, Carmine Appice, who is nearing his 80th birthday is still churning out quality music. The Appice Perdomo Project is the latest on that exceedingly long resume. Going into it, I knew it would be quality, but being that I’m not overly familiar with his catalog, I was pleasantly surprised with this instrumental project.

Maybe it’s the fact that most of the instrumental music I’ve been listening to lately is shred heavy. Something like Liquid Tension Experiment or Buckethead act like they’re paid per note they play. While I love that stuff, I do get a bit tired of it. Thankfully Running Up That Hill is exactly what I’ve been craving.

Beginning with a song called Biker Gang, I was immediately taken by the song structure. Not the most simple, but certainly not the most complex. In fact, it will be hard to give a song by song review because each one hovers around the mid tempo range, with a heavy rock yet bluesy influence. The title track gives a more syncopated feel and still gives us a great, yet somewhat straightforward melody.

Drum City is about what you’d expect while picking up the tempo. Appice gets the chance to shine a bit more but what I’ve come to realize is that while his legendary status as a drummer is much like his younger brother, whom I’m infinitely more familiar with, he shines the most as he provides slightly unorthodox drumming that never stands out too much. He is just plain solid with just enough flare to make his drumming extremely intriguing.

Pedal Pusher has a more upbeat and almost triumphant tone. Given that the guitar is singing as much as a vocalist would, there are plenty of earworms to stick around even while the album is turned off. Dada ventures back into the bluesy while Slamming lives up to its name while not straying too far from the established sound.

The Rise heads in a bit of a funky direction that, speak of the devil, actually reminds me somewhat of Buckethead, not only in the riffing but the soloing. While the album is filled with guests, Buckethead is sadly not one of them. Awkwardly after checking the album notes I learn that the guitarist guesting on this song is none other than Buckethead’s replacement in Guns N’ Roses, a man known as Bumblefoot. All due respect to him, he has an impressive catalog of his own and I actually really enjoyed that underappreciated GNR lineup as well. He sure is a great addition to this track. Other guests actually include Bumblefoot’s bandmates from another underappreciated band called Sons of Apollo. Billy Sheehan and Derek Sherinian make an appearance on the first track. One time Tommy Bolin bandmate Jimmy Haslip appears on the 5th and 6th track as well.

After another great groovy track called Foo Manchu, named for Appice’s signature mustache, we’re treated to another upbeat song aptly titled Hyperactive. Home gives us more blues than any other track, which is a bit too much for my taste, and Bullets Like Rain stays in that lane while giving us a bit more rock. Rockin’ kicks it up another notch and Bounty Hunter brings back the funk with a great riff, hitting on most styles touched upon in some way throughout the album.

This album is comfort food to me. Great riffs and superb performances but very little that jumps out and grabs your face and demands your attention. That’s not a bad thing. It’s exactly what I want for an instrumental album. In fact, I’m reminded of an instrumental band called If These Trees Could Talk. They’re nothing like this album in that they’re much heavier and varied yet similar in that they are perfect for background music. That’s what the Appice Perdomo project is to me It’s not going to distract me from a task I need to complete except for once or twice every other song when Carmine bangs out a killer rhythm or Perdomo creates an awesome melody (or Bumblefoot for that matter). I tend to think that’s what they’re going for. It’s not groundbreaking but it is good. Really good. Also, hardly washed up.

Rating 8/10

Bernard Romero is a history teacher by day and a music and film fanatic by night and still doesn’t know how to pronounce Carmine’s last name. I think he says “uh-piece” while his brother says “ah-pih-cee” and to make matters worse, Rob Halford pronounces it “uh-peach-eh,” so it would be fitting if we all just come up with our own unique way to say it.