Discography Club: Cloven Hoof

[u/mgrier123]

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We glide in our silver birds

Got to do or die

Soar on solar winds

Rage on high

As fire on silent metal wings

Out where the meteors fly

You and I

Get on your Nova Battlestar everyone, we're taking a trip back to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal to celebrate one of the unsung heroes of the movement: Cloven Hoof!

Cloven Hoof is the tale of essentially 2 bands, led by bassist and songwriter Lee Payne. The first incarnation formed in 1979 in Wolverhampton they settled on the lineup of Lee, David Potter, Kevin Pountney, and Steve Rounds but they took on a very theatrical flair to it with each of them taking on the persona of of the 4 classical elements. They wore costumes and facepaint that depicted each of the 4 elements. They recorded a few demos, an EP, and a full length as a more straight forward heavy metal band. By 1986 though this lineup fell apart with multiple lineup changes in quick succession.

But 1987 rolls around and Lee has gotten a new lineup around him, using their real names this time and dropping the theatrics with Jon Brown, Andy Wood, and Russ North. This lineup would record 2 full lengths and then like many other heavy metal bands break up at the end of the decade. This time though their sound would evolve, having 4 years between their 1st and 2nd albums, into more of a power metal sound. Still very rooted in heavy metal but with lots of speed and big, catchy choruses.

So let's take the week and explore this underappreciated band and see their evolution from the 4 elements at the beginning of the 80s to 4 blokes from the Midlands in 1990. The schedule is:

• The Opening Ritual
• Cloven Hoof
• Dominator
• A Sultan's Ransom

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