''A Sultan's Ransom'', released in 1989, is the third full-length studio album by the British
heavy metal band
Cloven Hoof
A cloven hoof, cleft hoof, divided hoof, or split hoof is a hoof split into two toes. Members of the mammalian order Artiodactyla that possess this type of hoof include cattle, deer, pigs, antelopes, gazelles, goats, and sheep.
The two digits ...
. It is the last Cloven Hoof album to feature Andy Wood on guitar, due to contractual difficulties that forced the whole band itself to split up from 1990 to 2001. Music videos were made for the songs "Mad, Mad World" and "Highlander" (which are now included on the band's debut DVD release, ''A Sultan's Ransom – Video Archive'', which also contains live footage of the band playing in 1989 at Lichfield Art Centre).
Reception
''A Sultan's Ransom'' was ranked number 442 in ''
Rock Hard'' magazine's 2005 book ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time''
and 24th at ''
Metal Hammer
''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions published by different companies available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' featu ...
''s 2019 list of the 25 best power metal album of all time.
Track listing
#"Astral Rider" ''
( Lee Payne, Russ North)'' – 5:15
#"Forgotten Heroes" ''
(Payne)'' – 4:41
#"D.V.R." ''
(Payne, Andy Wood)'' – 2:49
#"Jekyll and Hyde" ''
(Wood)'' – 3:28
#"1001 Nights" ''
(Payne, Wood, North, Jon Brown)'' – 5:28
#"Silver Surfer" ''
(Wood)'' – 3:43
#"Notre Dame" ''
(Payne)'' – 5:45
#"Mad, Mad World" ''
(Payne, Wood)'' – 2:29
#"Highlander" ''
(Payne)'' – 3:40
#"Mistress of the Forest" ''
(Payne)'' – 6:50
*Note: The track "D.V.R." is an acronym which stands for "Death Valley Racer".
Personnel
;Cloven Hoof
*
Russ North – vocals
*Andy Wood – guitar
*
Lee Payne – bass
*Jon Brown – drums
;Additional musicians
*Mil Gacic – guitar
*
Paul Hodson
Paul Hodson is an English rock musician. He was the keyboard player of the band Ten (band), Ten from 2001 until September 2011. He has also played for the band Hard Rain (band), Hard Rain since 1997 as well as for his solo project, named Hods ...
– keyboards
;Production
*Mark Stuart, Paul Hodson – engineers
References
Cloven Hoof (band) albums
1989 albums
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