CLOVEN HOOF
“Heathen Cross”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Cloven Hoof are a heavy metal band from the UK formed in 1979, and are one of the earliest bands to spearhead the legendary NWOBHM evolution during the early eighties. Across an incredible forty five year career, Cloven Hoof have released ten albums, the latest of which ‘Heathen Cross’, emerged in 2024.

Founded under the name Nightstalker, the band changed their name to Cloven Hoof and released three albums – ‘Cloven Hoof’ (1984), ‘Dominator’ (1988), and ‘A Sultan’s Ransom’ (1989), before splitting up in the nineties. Reforming ten years later with a new line-up, the band released two albums in just two years – ‘Eye Of The Sun’ (2006) and ‘The Definitive Part One’ (2008), with Cloven Hoof going on to release a further five albums – ‘Resist Or Serve’ (2014), ‘Who Mourns For The Morning Star?’ (2017), ‘Age Of Steel’ (2020), ‘Time Assassin’ (2022), and ‘Heathen Cross’ (2024). Featuring new vocalist Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin (Jag Panzer, Satan’s Host, Titan Force, The Three Tremors), the bands line-up is completed by guitarists Luke Hatton and Chris Coss, drummer Ash Baker, and keyboardist Chris Dando, alongside founding member, bassist Lee Payne. The new album sees Cloven Hoof return to their root sound from the eighties, the iconic NWOBHM – ‘Heathen Cross’ a ten song forty two minute old school swagger! I tell ya readers, this is traditional heavy metal as it was born to sound like, and from a British band too – the sub one minute instrumental ‘Benediction’ building an air of intense anticipation as it leads toward (the album opener proper) ‘Redeemer’.

And what an opener! ‘Redeemer’ explodes into life with all the gusto of galloping heavy metal, Cloven Hoof planting one foot firmly on the old school monitor – is it really 2024 and not 1984? It sure is – I just checked the calendar! A terrific start to the new album, the six-piece metal machine marching on with the more mid tempo ‘Do What Thou Wilt’ – keeping the heaviness very heavy indeed! Adopting a melodic heavy metal aura, ‘Do What Thou Wilt’ is immensely head bang-able and infectious to the max, the band standing tall and very proud right in the heart of heavy metal territory. And that’s where Cloven Hoof remain as ‘Heathen Cross’ rumbles on with ‘Last Man Standing’, and a sensational NWOBHM guitar sound – a sound that melts my heart every time I hear it! I was a teenager during the NWOBHM evolution, listening to the likes of Angel Witch, Diamond Head, Iron Maiden and Saxon re-write heavy metal, so for me it’s fantastic whenever a band reminds of those glorious years! And of course Cloven Hoof were a part of that evolution too – this is just like my teenage years all over again!

Ever since the album began the band have been on fucking fire, relentlessly rolling forth like an army on manoeuvres, ‘Heathen Cross’ hitting the accelerator and roaring on with ‘Darkest Before The Dawn’ – the mighty metal gallop bouncing all around my fucking head. The band are at their most old school here, parading a mouth-watering forty year old sound! And to be honest readers, it’s not just my mouth that’s watering! Excuse me for a moment! Right then, I’m back, and so are Cloven Hoof, keeping the pedal well and truly pressed to the metal with the fastest song heard so far – ‘Vendetta’ a roaring cacophony of glorious heavy metal! The head bang ability of the album is sky fucking high, every metalhead on the planet raising their fists high and punching the air in sheer delight – can ‘Heathen Cross’ get any better? You bet your fucking arse it can, ‘Curse Of The Gypsy’ returning the melodic heavy metal vibe heard earlier! The band show an immense level of majesty and elegance here, much more than many of the symphonic metal bands – both past and present! ‘Curse Of The Gypsy’ turns in a superb performance, changing gear and tempo many times throughout its (near) five minute run time!

I’m sure Cloven Hoof won’t mind when I call them metal veterans – for it’s the veterans that have been releasing some of the finest heavy metal albums of the last couple of years! Age is just a fucking number with quality having no age limit – the band storming on with the all out head banger ‘Frost And Fire’. The foot on the monitor attitude of ‘Heathen Cross’ is incredible, every song heard up to this point a hundred percent infectious – ‘Sabbat Stones’ hitting the ground hard emanating a Black Sabbath come Saxon come anthemic swagger. And the chorus chant of “sabbat stones” is surely gonna be screamed by every listener, fan, follower and concert goer – I know I am! I mentioned majesty and elegance earlier – ‘Sabbat Stones’ has both in immeasurable quantities! Cloven Hoof bring their new album to a close with the longest song on offer, ‘The Summoning’ clocking in at over six minutes in length! ‘The Summoning’ maintains the phenomenal intensity of the album, the band never leaving heavy metal territory to deliver a blend of traditional metal that’s gonna make many listeners go weak at the knees!

Overall, an infectious album of immense quality, Cloven Hoof deliver head bang-able, fist pumping, out of this world heavy metal.

TRACKLIST

Benediction
Redeemer
Do What Thou Wilt
Last Man Standing
Darkest Before The Dawn
Vendetta
Curse Of The Gypsy
Frost And Fire
Sabbat Stones
The Summoning

http://clovenhoof.net/
https://www.facebook.com/clovenhoof1979

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