The name Carmine Appice is synonymous with Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, Beck, Bogart & Appice, Rod Stewart and heavy metal. Often credited with being the first 'heavy metal' drummer, Carmine gave psychedelic rock group Vanilla Fudge an extra shove. Not only did he influence many of the great rock drummers such as John Bonham, Ian Paice, Cozy Powell, Nicko McBrain, Tommy Lee, Dave Lombardo and Eric Singer, but his work with Vanilla Fudge helped to bridge the gap between psychedelia and heavy metal, influencing the likes of Deep Purple along the way.