''Dominator'', released in 1988, is the second full-length

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by the British heavy metal

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

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 ...

. This

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

debuts singer Russ North and guitarist Andy Wood (both 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 ...

) in the band, as well as drummer Jon Brown. This album also shows Cloven Hoof's musical direction leaning more towards

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in co ...

than their previous releases. The songs "The Fugitive" and "Reach for the Sky" were previously recorded on their 1986

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

'' Fighting Back'', and "Road of Eagles" was originally recorded on their first 1982 demo and also recorded live in studio for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Rock Sessions in the mid 1980s. This album was only officially pressed on

cassette tape The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog audio, analog magnetic tape recording format for Sound recording and reproduction, audio recording and playback. Invented by L ...

and

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

. The album art is lifted from

John Blanche John Blanche (born 1948) is a British fantasy and science fiction illustrator and modeller who worked on Games Workshop's ''White Dwarf'' magazine, ''Warhammer Fantasy Battle'', ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'', ''Warhammer 40,000'' and ''Warhamm ...

's "Amazonia Gothique" (1986). In 2011 the album has been digitally remastered and reissued by Metal Nations (UK record label). The CD could be pre-ordered (first 50 orders include a free sew-on patch of the album) online on the band's site.

Track listing

All songs written by Lee Payne, unless indicated otherwise. ;Side Alpha # "Rising Up" - 4:48 # "Nova Battlestar" - 5:41 # "Reach for the Sky" - 5:31 # "Warrior of the Wasteland" (Payne, Andy Wood, Russ North, Jon Brown) - 5:15 ;Side Beta #

"The Invaders" - 5:25 # "The Fugitive" - 4:20 # "Dominator" - 4:42 # "Road of Eagles" - 6:08

Personnel

;Cloven Hoof * Russ North - vocals *Andy Wood - guitar * Lee Payne - bass *Jon Brown - drums ;Production *Guy Bidmead - producer *Alan McKerchar - engineer

References

Cloven Hoof (band) albums 1988 albums 1980s concept albums {{1980s-metal-album-stub