29-08-2010
Russ and Lee to play Metal Warning and Swordbrothers festivals
Lee and Russ are proud to announce that they will be performing at the 'Metal Warning' festival in Helsinki, Finland and at 'Swordbrothers' Germany backed by Heathen Hoof and ASKA respectively.
 
Both bands are big Cloven Hoof fans and have stepped into the breach to provide backing on a number of Hoof classics.
 
"It will be a blast being on stage with two bands we very much admire and respect. Lee and I will enjoy every minute working with these guys. They certainly will be two kick ass festivals and we know the fans will love it" (Russ North)

29-08-2010
Another rave review for Throne of Damnation
There are really some bands from the 80’s metal scene that deserved a better luck. Due to their inexperience or because of the labels'/managers' faults, they didn’t get the chance to spread their name and become as successful as they should and could. CLOVEN HOOF are one of these groups, since they managed back then through their music to expand and progress the N.W.O.B.H.M. sound into what a few years later would become the standard U.S. power metal sound. Anyway, the years have passed, but it seems that the band didn’t plan to quit. On the contrary they are back and still ambitious. That is proven by this E.P. which includes all the things that every traditional metal fan would ask for: melodies that stick to your mind, catchy choruses that you would like to sing along to and an exceptional performance from all the musicians of the band. Also the new singer of CLOVEN HOOF, Matt Moreton, has a warm and very expressive voice that sometimes reminded me of SAXON’s Biff Byford. “Throne of Damnation” is a release that will be enjoyed both by the old fans of the band, but also by the new ones that look for some good 80’s influenced heavy metal. I know that by the time you will read this, the new IRON MAIDEN album will have also been released, but trust me on this... Try to check this band out, because they simply still have the fire burning inside them, contrary to IRON MAIDEN… Finally, I have to tell you that all the songs on “Throne Of Damnation” are exceptional, but my favourite one is “Freak Show” and I believe that this is one of the best songs that CLOVE HOOF have composed so far. I'd also like to note that the tracklist printed on the inlay and booklet of the CD are not in the correct order. The correct listing of the songs is: 1. Running Man, 2. Whore of Babylon, 3. Freak Show, 4. Prime Time and 5.Night Stalker.
 
Nick "Verkaim" Parastatidis / Beyond the Veil Greece

28-08-2010
PRESS STATEMENT
Cloven Hoof will not be playing 'Mosh for Dosh' or 'Hard Rock Hell IV' festivals because the right band members need to be found and this will take time. Lee and Russ would like to apologise to the fans who will be attending 'Mosh for Dosh' and 'Hard Rock Hell IV', but hope they will understand that it is in the best interest of Cloven Hoof in the long run, to get the right men for the job and to do the band justice.
 
Lee and Russ did not want to let the fans down but realistically they should have cleared the decks long ago by recruiting high calibre personnel.
 
Some promoters take advantage of the fact that bands naturally want to play live and play to the fans without paying the artists what they are worth. They make money off the bands back and hard work but in Cloven Hoof's case, this has to stop.
 
"'If you pay peanuts, you get monkey's'. The band deserves the very best. Previously it was a case of 'make do' with inferior musicians and playing catch up because shows kept rolling in". Lee Payne
 
Cloven Hoof will be back better than ever with a long awaited concept album.
 
The best is yet to come!

05-08-2010
PRESS STATEMENT
Ben Read, Mick Powell and Jon Brown no longer members of Cloven Hoof. Ben Read and Mick Powell have walked out on the band with only 5 weeks to go before 2 prestigious gigs in Finland and Germany. They are letting down the fans, the promoters and the good name of Cloven Hoof. It had been noticed for some time that their stage presence was nil and their musicianship was deteriorating by the day.
 
In order not to let the fans down they were still kept on board until the 2 dates had been honoured. As their sacking was inevitable, Mr Powell and Mr Read decided to do the maximum amount of damage possible and leave the band high and dry.
As a direct consequence of Ben and Mick's action Cloven Hoof have taken the decision to dispense with the services of Jon Brown.
 
Lee Payne and stand in vocalist Russ North are currently in negotiation with the promoters to see if they can still make an appearance at the 2 festivals out of loyalty to the fans.
 
Cloven Hoof have vowed to return stronger than ever with dedicated band members fit to be in the band.

25-07-2010
Russ North back to front Cloven Hoof in Finland & Germany
With Matt Moreton's current illness Cloven Hoof would like to announce that Russ North will be standing in for both the CH tour in Finland on the 10th of September and the Swordbrother’s Festival in Germany on 11th of September.

25-07-2010
O2 Academy Birmingham
Cloven Hoof would like to pass on a special thanks to Peter, Phil, Stew, Kay and Kaz for all their hard work at the Jameson Raid gig on Friday the 23rd of July. Peter, Phil and Stew (crew) worked tirelessly throughout the evening while Kaz and Kay did a first rate job on the Merchandising. We thank you for your hard work and support. Thanks also to Terry, Ian,John and Phil (Jameson Raid) for a great evening, the hoof salute you!

22-07-2010
Thanks to Dell and the Dome
Cloven Hoof would like to extend their thanks to everyone at the Dome, Tufnell Park, London for their great hospitality on the 17th of July. Our special thanks must go to Shelly and Ross who made us so welcome.

We have to say how impressed we were with the bands who played at the gig especially Kyrbgrinder and Ghost Train. Hoof would like to wish them all well for the future.
Many thanks must be extend to Derek Hodd for standing in at such short notice and doing such a sterling job of fronting the band... Thanks Dell !

22-07-2010
Russ North Back for Jameson Raid
Fans of Russ North will be delighted to hear that Russ will again be fronting Cloven Hoof for the Jameson Raid gig at the O2 academe in Birmingham on the 23rd of July. Russ has kindly agreed to step in for this one show while Matt Moreton continues his recuperation from his recent illness.

22-07-2010
Jameson Raid
In the world of NWOBHM there are few bands who have left such a mark on the music as Jameson Raid. It's a great honor that Cloven Hoof will take the stage on the 23rd of July with one of the true Greats of British Rock music. Our warmest thanks goes to Terry, John, Ian and Phil.

13-07-2010
DEREK HODD STEPS IN AS LEAD VOCALIST AT THE TUFTNELL PARK DOME LONDON
Cloven Hoof are back in town again. Saturday the 17th of July see's Cloven Hoof back in London at the Dome, Tufnell Park. Derek Hodd will make his debut as Cloven hoof front man at the Dome, he previously worked with the band during the "Dominator" era. Now he takes centre stage whilst Matt Morton recovers from illness. Cloven hoof are due on stage at 10:30 so get ready for a historic night of metal.

Tickets are available from The Dome, 178 Junction Road, Tufnell Park, London, N19 5QQ. Tel: 020 7272 8153. Tickets are available online from Whatnext.org upto 36hours before the gig.

18-07-2010
THRONE OF DAMNATION REVIEW by Grigoris Chronis / Metal Temple
Receiving a hot copy of the new CLOVEN HOOF album was great news. Oops, it’s not a full album but a 5-track EP. No prob; this release was put on hold for a couple of times, as far as I can recall, but finally is available for fans of this classic British Metal band to enjoy. Purchases are available here when more copies are pressed, as the first set disappeared to the blink of an eye, and fact is you should hurry if being a loyal fan of CLOVEN HOOF since the delay seems to have been worth the wait.

It’s old news now that premier vocalist Russ North has parted ways with the Wolverhampton, England based outfit (still he was the one that initially recorded his parts for the songlist presented here, I think). I was quite skeptic thinking what kind of a singer would be capable of filling Russ’s shoes. Well, newcomer Matt Moreton while distanced enough from North’s epic high-pitched vibrato singing eventually sounds convincing; the tracklist helps this way, too, since the vast majority of song parts is more melodic even epic enough, requiring the minimum of sky high notes and relevant shrieks. In his field Matt is good, he has a warm classic British voice with enough pieces of fresh (not ‘modern’) vocal harmonies tied well with the past and present of a long-running outfit like CLOVEN HOOF (needless to say, bassist Lee Payne remains the only original member since their 1979 dawn) and can even sound filled with menace if needed.

The music itself will be weird enough in the first couple of auditions but ends up being rather splendid; that was CLOVEN HOOF’s trademark value anyway, I guess. Far-off any seasonal rends, the tracks in “Throne Of Damnation” have virtually everything in hand. “Running Man” welcomes us to the progressive songwriting of Lee Payne; the spirit of RUSH, WISHBONE ASH, THIN LIZZY and IRON MAIDEN in one, in other words. This is a splendid lyrical cut creating voyaging/fugitive images in its diverse yet non-complex structure. The vocals follow this wavelength delivering the goods here, rest assured. “Whore Of Babylon” (originally featured in 2006’s “Eye Of The Sun” comeback) shapes things up in favor of the band’s more atmospheric/historical side; I recalled Irish classic hardrockers STORMZONE’s newest second CD style here, by the way. The basic riff is of total approval and the singing style of Moreton also fits like a glove, no questions asked, while the solo/dual leads work done here is harmonic and bouncing as it can be.

“Freak Show”welcomes the listener with a lunar acoustic guitar intro, shortly after to be transformed to a ballad-type cut with chorus outbursts creating a weird number that brought to mind images of a variety of bands from late JUDAS PRIEST to mid-career ICED DEARTH. A peculiar song, surely said. “Prime Time”is just one scale below the opener’s quality, featuring some trenchant lyrics dressing a hardorckin’ melodic NWOBHM-inspired song with striking leads works and some warm vocals. “Night Stalker” wraps up the EP and is a remake of the 1984 number, originally featured in the band’s full-length same-titled debut, and sees a more savage sound with equally mean vocals by Moreton.

The sound of this EP is what the traditional Metal follower who still keeps himself occupied with new releases shall digest: pounding yet full of space to let the listener swallow melodies, hooks and bridges all the way. CLOVEN HOOF’s career has shown the band always bears an uncompromising profile, honoring their inspirations and geographical whereabouts in favour of Metal music’s quality perseverance. In the far far future, when this ‘x’ band will bring you that ‘y’ certain era to mind it’ll be bands like CLOVEN HOOF boasting a celebrated time-independent virtue.

Score: Excellent!

http://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/unsigned_3/cloven_hoof_-_throne_of.htm

17-07-2010
MATT MORETON UNABLE TO PLAY SHOWS FOR THREE MONTHS
Once again the singers curse strikes the hoof as Matt becomes ill before his debut show.
The amazing vocalist on "Throne of Damnation" and "Eye of the Sun" will be unable to front the band for at least 3 months. Kidney stones is the cause and Lee, Jon, Ben and Mick wish him a speedy recovery. Matt sends his apologies to the fans and promises to be back in action towards the end of the year.

15-07-2010
RUSS NORTH BACK IN CONTACT
Russ recently got in touch with Cloven hoof and expressed his apologies to the fans for not appearing at the Valencia Metal bats festival. Problems in his personal life had made continuing with Cloven hoof's tour schedule impossible. The band now fully appreciate the position he was in and wish him well. Mr North can be seen at his best on the Keep it true 12 DVD now available.

22-06-2010
HARD ROCK HELL
Once again Cloven Hoof have been asked to play the class Welsh Hard Rock Hell IV on Saturday the 4th of December 2010. After the bands withdrawal from the 2009 event due to a former vocalist...., we are looking forward to laying down one hell of a set to make up for last years disappointment.

18-05-2010
CLOVEN HOOF EP HERE 19th MAY
At long last after pressing plant set backs the fans can recieve "Throne of Damnation" from the 19th May. It will be well worth the wait and the faithful will recieve 5 blistering tracks comprised of Running man, Whore of Babylon, Freak Show, Prime Time and Night Stalker.

NEW EP "Throne of Damnation" Available to pre-order NOW!
SORRY SOLD OUT - (More coming see below)

15-04-2010

IMPORTANT NOTICE
Due to problems at the pressing plant the copies of the "Throne of Damnation" EP will be delay by about 10 days. We would like to apologise for this delay which unfortunately is out of our hands. The limited edition copies (Blue Sleeves) will be sent out the second we get the back from the pressing plant. Standard copies of the EP will be available to order very soon.
PRE-ORDER THRONE OF DAMNATION

The band have decided to release a 5 track EP entitled "THRONE OF DAMNATION" by popular demand. It will have 3 new songs, "PRIME TIME", "RUNNING MAN" and "FREAK SHOW". Also to be included are re-workings of "Whore of Babylon" and "Night Stalker" featured on the Brutal Legend game.

The EP is available as a limited run only, so like "The Opening Ritual EP," will be much sought after. The first 500 will be on sale at a special price of £5.00 including postage and packing... ORDER NOW TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT! Go to the shop menu!22-03-2010
THRONE OF DAMNATION TASTERS

Click on the links below for advance tasters of the new “Throne of Damnation” EP featuring Matt Moreton’s blistering vocals!

1. Running ManWhore of BabylonFreak Show
2. Prime Time

Matt and Lee working on vocals at Mad Hat Studio’s.

14-03-2010
MATT MORETON NEW SINGER ON THRONE OF DAMNATION

The new EP ‘Throne of Damnation’ has had to have new vocals recorded so this has put the release date back slightly.

There have been major problems culminating in Russ North letting the band down once again at the Metal Bats festival in Valencia at the last minute. Not only has Mr North's un professional attitiude hurt the band, but far worse than that he let the fans down and that is totally unacceptable. Russ North will never again be asked to perform with Cloven hoof, his association with the band is over for good.

We are now happy to announce Matt Moreton is officially the new Cloven hoof vocalist, and he will be singing on the new EP. Matt was the powerhouse vocalist on the critically acclaimed "Eye of the sun" album. Fans can expect delivery of the new EP in the first week of April.

14-03-2010
CLOVEN HOOF TO PLAY IN FINLAND
Cloven hoof will play a concert on 10th of September, 2010 in Helsinki Finland.
It will be the first time the hoof have played in a Scandinavian country, and the event will be called N.W.o.B.H.M and Doom Metal Invasion. It features the following line up...
CLOVEN HOOF (uk)
THE LAMP OF THOTH (uk)
HEATHEN HOOF (fin)
CHILDREN OF DOOM (fra) Book early as it promises to be a killer show!

14-03-2010
CLOVEN HOOF TAKE METAL BATS FESTIVAL BY STORM

Saturday the 6th March saw Cloven Hoof headline in Valencia Spain at Metal Bats 2. The band & crew would like to pass on their thank to the organisers for laying on such a world class event, and to the fans for making our first trip to Spain a truly memorable one. This may have been our first time in Spain but we know it wouldn't be our last. The band would like to send spacial thanks to Pablo, Diego, Andres, Joseto, Isa and all the way from Bilbo (9 hrs by bus) Hector and Jessy! You guy's truly rock.

Carl Grocutt heroically stepped in on lead vocals after a weeks rehearsal, to earn a great reception from the enthusiastic Spanish audience. Many thanks to him and his courage in adversity... Cloven hoof salute you!

The review of the Metal Bats Fest 2

http://www.metalzone.biz/php/modules.php?name=Encyclopedia&op=content&tid=648

18-01-2010
THRONE OF DAMNATION STUDIO REPORT

Lee, Jon and Ben are currently snowed in at Mad Hat Studio's reunited with "A Sutans Ransom" Producer Mark Stuart. The finishing touches are being made to the eagerly awaited "Throne of Damnation" EP, and the pre sales have been incredible. The limited edition run has already nearly sold out, so get those orders in now to avoid disappointment.

M2 or Mad Hat Studio with optional snow drift

Mark Stuart tormented by Lee to get that Sultans Ransom sound

All the songs are sounding incredible and it has "A Sultans Ransom" vibe. Epic, varied and powerful is the only way to describe it. We have all really enjoyed making this EP, the band spirit is at an all time high. I think Jon and Ben in particular have played brilliantly, the fans are going to love it. Freak Show for example with all the time changes and progressions is a potential all time hoof classic. (Lee)

Jon: "I hope Ben won't steal my hat!" Ben: "Too bad I already have! "

18-01-2010
CLOVEN HOOF SPECIAL GUESTS OF JAMESON RAID

Cloven hoof will play a show at O2 Academy 2 Birmingham on Friday 23 Jul 2010. It marks the return of a band that the hoof very much admire. Terry Dark appeared with the band at Headbangers Open air festival to deliver a great performance of the classic " Getting hotter" last year. Jameson Raid's reunion together with Cloven hoof will be a metal show not to be missed! The O2 Academy in Birmingham is situated at 16-18 Horsefair, Bristol Street, B1 1DB.Order tickets now at: O2 Academy 2http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGucxTSVSAo
Getting Hotter (Jameson Raid cover with Terry Dark)
Headbangers Open air festival

Terry Dark and Ben rocking out to "Getting Hotter" at H.O.A

18-01-2010
CLOVEN HOOF TO PLAY THE SWORDBROTHERS FESTIVAL IN GERMANY

Cloven hoof will play the sword brothers festival in Germany on September 11th. Bands listed are Cloven hoof, Cage, Ruthless, Aska, Throes of Sanity, Paragon, Wodow, Eternal Winter, Hurtment, Desert Sin. The event takes place at JUZ Andernach, Stadionstr. 88, 56626 Andernach, Germany.Visit the official site: http://www.swordbrothers.de/frameset.html

18-01-2010
NEW CLOVEN HOOF PATCH NOW AVAILABLE

Hot off the press is the long awaited new patch design featuring the Zab demon logo. Now at last the denim jacketed hoof legions can wear the Cloven hoof emblem with pride. Order now from the shop section.

Click here to order new patch

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CLOVEN HOOF ON MYSPACE

We now have A Cloven hoof myspace site up and running, please have a look and leave us a message or become a Cloven hoof myspace friend, all you will need is a myspace account, and its totally free!

All myspace accounts have contact info and one of the links is a request to add that person as your friend. Click here for the link to: http://www.myspace.com/clovenhoofofficial


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