Cloven Hoof are an English heavy metal band from

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

, active from 1979 to 1990, and again from around 2000 onward. They were associated with the

new wave of British heavy metal The new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that began in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis (music journalist), Alan Lew ...

movement, alongside bands such as

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

, and Diamond Head. Enduring many line-up changes, only founding bassist and principal songwriter Lee Payne has remained a constant member throughout the decades.

Biography

Early years: 1979–1987

Cloven Hoof went through a number of early line-up changes before settling on a steady line-up that would last for their first few recordings. Theatrical from the beginning, the four band members took up

pseudonyms A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's ow ...

based on the

four elements The classical elements typically refer to earth, water, air, fire, and (later) aether which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. Ancient cultures in Greece, Angola, Tibet, India, a ...

: David "Water" Potter, Steve "Fire" Rounds, Lee "Air" Payne and Kevin "Earth" Poutney. This line-up recorded a successful demo tape in 1982, along with '' The Opening Ritual'' EP, and the debut ''

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 ...

'' album (1984). Following the release of their self-titled debut, David Potter left the band to be replaced by Rob Kendrick, who took up the "Water" pseudonym. This line-up only managed to record the live album '' Fighting Back'' (1987) before splitting up, leaving Lee Payne as the sole remaining band member.

1988–1990

Lee Payne reactivated the band in 1988, hiring vocalist Russ North and guitarist Andy Wood from

Tredegar Tredegar (; ) is a town and community situated on the banks of the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in the southeast of Wales. Within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the Industrial R ...

along with drummer Jon Brown. With a whole new set of musicians in place, the band dropped the stage names and went on to record two more albums: 1988's '' Dominator'' and 1989's '' A Sultan's Ransom''. The former member of

, Lee Jones, was brought into the band as a second guitarist soon after the release of these two albums, but contractual difficulties caused the band to split up again in 1990.

2001–2007

In the summer of 2001, Lee Payne began putting together a new line-up for the next incarnation of Cloven Hoof (following a telephone conversation with Andy Wood regarding the contractual difficulties which had caused the band's decade-long split.) The band completed a live appearance at the Keep It True II Festival at the Tauberfrankenhalle in

Lauda-Königshofen Lauda-Königshofen () is a town in the Main-Tauber (district), Main-Tauber district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Tauber, 7 km southeast of Tauberbischofsheim, and 30 km southwest of Würzburg. Most of the ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

on 10 April 2004. '' Eye of the Sun'' was recorded and released in 2006, with the help of musicians Matt Moreton on vocals, Andy Shortland on guitars, and Lynch Radinsky on drums. Tom Galley produced the album. Due to the work commitments of various band members it was impossible for the unit to play live, so Lee Payne was once again obliged to enlist new personnel. Vocalist Russ North returned to England and rejoined the band, after a period of time spent living in Spain. Eventually the band's line-up was completed by Mick Powell and Ben Read on guitars, with Jon Brown on drums.

2008–present

A collection of re-recorded songs - '' The Definitive Part One'' - was released in early 2008, with a new EP to be called '' Throne of Damnation'' scheduled for release in 2010. In 2008, Cloven Hoof co-headlined the ''Metal Brew'' Festival in

Mill Hill Mill Hill is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is situated around northwest of Charing Cross, close to the Hertfordshire border. It was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Middlesex until 1965, when it b ...

with

Pagan Altar Pagan Altar is an English heavy metal and doom metal band. It was formed by Terry Jones and his son Alan in 1978 in the borough of Brockley in London and was part of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM). History Pagan Altar's only ...

. Both bands also performed at the ''British Steel IV'' Festival at the

Camden Underworld Camden Underworld is a music venue in Camden Town, London, England. The venue is a part of the World's End pub, situated in the basement of the building. It has a capacity of 500 people. History Over the years The Underworld has become t ...

in 2009. On 27 June 2009, Cloven Hoof appeared at the ''

Bang Your Head!!! Bang Your Head!!! was a heavy metal and hard rock festival held annually in Germany. First held in 1996 as a one-day indoor event in the Stefan-Hartmann-Halle in Tübingen with a crowd of 600 people, Bang Your Head!!! has since moved to Balin ...

'' festival in

Balingen Balingen (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Balenga'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, capital of the districts of Germany, district of Zollernalbkreis. It is located near the Swabian Jura, approx. 35 km to the south of Tübingen, 35&nb ...

. They featured on the bill alongside bands such as W.A.S.P., U.D.O.,

Blind Guardian Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. Nine musicians have been part of the band ...

and Journey, playing their set in torrential rain. The track ''Nightstalker'', from the band's debut album, was used in the soundtrack for the

Brütal Legend ''Brütal Legend'' is an action-adventure video game with real-time strategy game elements created by Double Fine and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released during October 2009 in North America, ...

computer game. In early 2010, following the exit of Russ North, Matt Moreton was hired to record the vocals that appeared on the '' Throne of Damnation'' EP. Moreton left the band due to ill health soon afterwards. On 13 December 2010, Cloven Hoof released their first DVD, '' A Sultan's Ransom - Video Archive'', comprising footage of a 1989 concert at

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

Art Centre and also featuring two music videos for the songs "Mad, Mad World" and "Highlander", both from '' A Sultan's Ransom''. 2011 saw Lee Payne rebuilding the band, bringing in guitarist Joe Whelan from the band Dementia and guitarist Chris Coss from UK/DC, along with drummer Mark Gould and Ash Cooper on vocals. This line-up released a music video called ''I'm Your Nemesis'' and an updated version of "Nightstalker". Russ North parted company with Cloven Hoof for a final time in July 2012, following a controversial performance in Cyprus. Mark Gould left the band in August 2012, with Jake Oseland replacing him on drums in time for a series of live dates in 2013. The 2013 line-up of Cloven Hoof scheduled a debut UK concert appearance with

Jameson Raid The Jameson Raid (Afrikaans: ''Jameson-inval'', , 29 December 1895 – 2 January 1896) was a botched raid against the South African Republic (commonly known as the Transvaal) carried out by British colonial administrator Leander Starr Jameson ...

and Hollow Ground at

Wolverhampton Civic Hall Wolverhampton Civic Hall is a music venue in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It has been one of the most notable live music venues in the county for several decades. It is part of a complex branded as University of Wolverhampton at The ...

on 30 March 2013. On 27 April 2013, Cloven Hoof played a concert at the Parkhotel Hall in

Tirol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

, Austria. The show was recorded by producer Patrick Engel for a future live album release. A studio album, provisionally entitled ''Resist or Serve'', was planned for release on High Roller Records. On 23 June 2013, Cloven Hoof played at the R-Mine Festival in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, on a bill which included

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

Tygers of Pan Tang Tygers of Pan Tang are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band who are part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. They formed in 1978 in Whitley Bay, England, and were active until 1987. The band reformed in 1999 and continue ...

and

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

. This was followed by an appearance at the Heavy Metal Night 6 Festival in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

on 21 September 2013. In 2014, Cloven Hoof were added to the bill for the

Sweden Rock Festival Sweden Rock Festival is a rock festival outside the town of Sölvesborg in Blekinge in southern Sweden. The festival offers the best possible mix of classic rock, hard rock, metal, blues and related genres. The first version of the festival, k ...

, with

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

and

Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...

. An appearance at the Power and Glory Festival in Hatfield was scheduled for 23 August 2014, with further European tour dates due to take place throughout the year. In 2023, Harry Conklin (previously from Satan's host, Three tremors and

Jag Panzer Jag Panzer is an American power metal band from Colorado Springs, Colorado, formed in 1981. History Jag Panzer came together in late 1981, being inspired by the onslaught of the new wave of British heavy metal. The original lineup consisted ...

) was announced as the band's new singer. Their ninth studio album, ''Heathen Cross'', was released on 31 May 2024. Former singer Russ North died on 1 January 2025. No cause of death was given.

Band members

Current members

* Lee Payne – bass (1979–1990, 2000–present) * Chris Coss – guitars (2011–present) * Luke Hatton – guitars (2014–2018, 2020-present) * Ash Baker - guitars (2019), drums (2022-present) * Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin - vocals (2023-present) * Chris Dando – keyboards, backing vocals (2022–present)

Former members

Vocals * David Potter (1982–1984) * Rob Kendrick (1985–1986) * Russ North (1986–1990, 2006–2009, 2011–2012, died 2025) * Matt Moreton (2000–2006, 2009) * Ash Cooper (2010) * George Call (2016-2023) Guitar * Steve Rounds (1982–1986) * Andy Wood (1988–1990, 2004) * Andy Shortland (2005–2006) * Ben Read (2007–2010) * Mick Powell (2007, 2008, 2009–2010) Drums * Kevin Pountney (1979–1986) * Jon Brown (1987–1990, 2007–2010) * Lynch Radinsky (2005–2006) * Danny White (2017-2019) * Mark Harris Bristow (2019-2022)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' (1984) *'' Dominator'' (1988, re-released 2011 & 2012) *'' A Sultan's Ransom'' (1989, re-released 2012) *''Eye of the Sun'' (2006) *''Resist or Serve'' (6 June 2014) *''Who Mourns for the Morning Star'' (28 April 2017) *''Age of Steel'' (24 April 2020) *''Time Assassin'' (11 March 2022) *''Heathen Cross'' (31 May 2024)

Live albums

*'' Fighting Back'' (1986)

Compilation albums

*'' The Definitive Part One'' (2008)

EPs

*'' The Opening Ritual'' (1982) *'' Throne of Damnation'' (2010)

Demos

*''1982 Demo'' (1982) *''Second 1982 Demo'' (1982)

Videos and DVDs

*'' A Sultan's Ransom - Video Archive'' (DVD) (2010)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cloven Hoof Musical groups established in 1979 English power metal musical groups Wolverhampton English musical quintets English heavy metal musical groups Musical groups disestablished in 1990 Musical groups reestablished in 2000 New Wave of British Heavy Metal musical groups Musical groups from West Midlands (county)