Last week The Cult held drummer auditions in Los Angeles, ahead of their U.S. tour kick-off. See also this previous news on Drummerszone.com. After two try outs, the reactivated rockers decided to recruit John Tempesta.

One of the other candidates for the drummer position was LA session drummer Cary Kane, who has previously played with Liars Inc., Pretty Boy Floyd, Powder, Swollow and Kiss bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, among others.

Tempesta will make his stage debut with the band when they perform on CBS, on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on Friday, February 24.

The Cult\'s last tour — behind their acclaimed 2001 album, \"Beyond Good and Evil\" — featured principal members Ian Astbury (vocals) and Billy Duffy (guitar) alongside longtime The Cult drummer Matt Sorum and bassist Billy Morrison. Matt Sorum is currently part of Velvet Revolver.

The Cult\'s upcoming tour, tagged \"A Return To Wild\", will cover 19 cities launching at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco and winding up at Nokia Live in New York City.

Watch John Tempesta bash the skins last January at the NAMM Show 2006, demonstrating the Tama Thunder, at this location.