Early Years: 1979–1987
During their early years, Cloven Hoof experienced several lineup changes before finally settling on a stable formation that lasted for their initial recordings. From the very beginning, the four band members embraced a theatrical approach and adopted pseudonyms inspired by the four elements: David "Water" Potter, Steve "Fire" Rounds, Lee "Air" Payne, and Kevin "Earth" Poutney. This lineup successfully recorded a demo tape in 1982, as well as The Opening Ritual EP and their self-titled debut album in 1984.
Following the release of their debut album, David Potter departed from the band and was replaced by Rob Kendrick, who took on the pseudonym "Water." This lineup only managed to record the live album Fighting Back (1987) before disbanding, leaving Lee Payne as the sole remaining member.
1988–1990
In 1988, Lee Payne revived the band and recruited vocalist Russ North and guitarist Andy Wood from the band Tredegar, along with drummer Jon Brown. With a fresh lineup in place, the band abandoned their stage names and went on to produce two more albums: Dominator (1988) and A Sultan's Ransom (1989). Lee Jones, a former member of Tredegar, joined as a second guitarist shortly after the release of these albums. However, contractual issues led to another breakup in 1990.
2001–2007
In the summer of 2001, Lee Payne began assembling a new lineup for the next iteration of Cloven Hoof, following a discussion with Andy Wood regarding the previous contractual difficulties that had caused the band's decade-long hiatus. The band made a live appearance at the Keep It True II Festival in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany, on April 10, 2004.
They recorded and released Eye of the Sun in 2006, featuring musicians Matt Moreton on vocals, Andy Shortland on guitars, and Lynch Radinsky on drums. The album was produced by Tom Galley. Due to various members' work commitments, the band was unable to perform live, prompting Lee Payne to once again recruit new personnel.
Vocalist Russ North returned to England and rejoined the band after spending some time living in Spain. The band's lineup was eventually completed by Mick Powell and Ben Read on guitars, along with Jon Brown on drums.
2008–Present
In early 2008, the band released a collection of re-recorded songs titled The Definitive Part One, with plans to release a new EP called Throne of Damnation in 2010.
Cloven Hoof co-headlined the Metal Brew Festival in Mill Hill with Pagan Altar in 2008. Both bands also performed at the British Steel IV Festival at the Camden Underworld in 2009. On June 27, 2009, Cloven Hoof appeared at the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany, sharing the stage with bands like W.A.S.P., U.D.O., Blind Guardian, and Journey, despite the heavy rain during their set.
The track "Nightstalker" from Cloven Hoof's debut album was featured in the soundtrack for the Brütal Legend computer game.
In early 2010, following Russ North's departure, Matt Moreton was enlisted to record the vocals for the Throne of Damnation EP. However, Moreton left the band shortly afterward due to health issues. On December 13, 2010, Cloven Hoof released their first DVD titled A Sultan's Ransom - Video Archive. It featured footage from a 1989 concert at Lichfield Art Centre, as well as two music videos for the songs "Mad, Mad World" and "Highlander" from A Sultan's Ransom.
In 2011, Lee Payne embarked on rebuilding the band by bringing in guitarist Joe Whelan from the band Dementia and guitarist Chris Coss from UK/DC. Drummer Mark Gould and Ash Cooper joined as well, providing vocals. This lineup released a music video called "I'm Your Nemesis" and an updated version of "Nightstalker." However, Russ North parted ways with Cloven Hoof for the final time in July 2012, following a controversial performance in Cyprus. Mark Gould also left the band in August 2012, and Jake Oseland replaced him on drums in time for a series of live shows in 2013.
The 2013 lineup of Cloven Hoof scheduled their debut UK concert appearance at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on March 30, 2013, alongside Jameson Raid and Hollow Ground. On April 27, 2013, Cloven Hoof performed a concert at the Parkhotel Hall in Tirol, Austria, which was recorded by producer Patrick Engel for a future live album release. The band had plans to release a studio album provisionally titled Resist or Serve on High Roller Records.
On June 23, 2013, Cloven Hoof played at the R-Mine Festival in Belgium, sharing the bill with Hell, Tygers of Pan Tang, and Tank. They also made an appearance at the Heavy Metal Night 6 Festival in Italy on September 21, 2013. In 2014, Cloven Hoof was added to the lineup for the Sweden Rock Festival, performing alongside Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper. They were also scheduled to perform at the Power and Glory Festival in Hatfield on August 23, 2014, with additional European tour dates planned for the year.
Discography
Cloven Hoof (1984)
Fighting Back (1986)
Dominator (1988)
A Sultan's Ransom (1989)
Eye of the Sun (2006)
Throne of Damnation (2014)
Who Mourns for the Morning Star? (2017)
The Age of Steel (2020)
Time Assassin (2022)
Daughter of Darkness
Cloven Hoof Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Warm were her kisses and tender was she lying there in my arms
Why
Why, did you deceive me so?
What devil inside made you go when I needed you most of all
Oh daughter of darkness
Stay out of my life, my life
You took my heart and broke it apart, you daughter of darkness
Please, leave me alone forever
Daughter of darkness, gone is the love that we shared together
Heaven, we had our own kind of heaven
Sharing together the magic of love in a world of our own
Then oh so suddenly you were gone
The love I depended upon disappeared when you weren't away
Oh daughter of darkness
Stay out of my life, my life
You took my heart and broke it apart, you daughter of darkness
Daughter of darkness
Please, leave me alone forever
Oh devil daughter of darkness, gone is the love that we shared together
Oh daughter of darkness
Stay out of my life, my life
You took my heart and broke it apart, you daughter of darkness
Oh daughter of darkness
Stay out of my life, my life
You took my heart and broke it apart, you daughter of darkness
Daughter of darkness
Please, leave me alone forever
Oh devil daughter of darkness, gone is the love that we shared together
The song Daughter of Darkness by Cloven Hoof is about the pain and betrayal of a man who was once in love with a woman who turned out to be a deceptive and selfish person. In the first verse, the singer reminisces about the times when he was with the woman who he thought was warm and tender. He questions why she would abandon him when he needed her the most. The second verse references the heaven they once shared and how suddenly it was gone, leaving the singer heartbroken.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of anger and regret towards the woman, who is referred to as a “daughter of darkness” and a “devil daughter of darkness”. The singer begs for her to leave him alone forever, knowing that the love they once had is now gone forever.
Overall, the lyrics of Daughter of Darkness capture the raw emotions of heartbreak and betrayal, and the painful process of coming to terms with a lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
Woman, I can remember a woman
The singer remembers a specific woman
Warm were her kisses and tender was she lying there in my arms
The singer remembers the woman as affectionate
Why
The singer questions why the woman left him
Why, did you deceive me so?
The singer questions why the woman was dishonest
What devil inside made you go when I needed you most of all
The singer wonders what motivated the woman to leave him at such a critical time
Oh daughter of darkness
The singer calls the woman a negative force in his life
Stay out of my life, my life
The singer wishes to be separated from the woman
You took my heart and broke it apart, you daughter of darkness
The singer blames the woman for emotionally hurting him
Daughter of darkness
The singer continues to refer to the woman as a negative force
Please, leave me alone forever
The singer wishes to be separated from the woman permanently
Heaven, we had our own kind of heaven
The singer reminisces about the happy times he shared with the woman
Sharing together the magic of love in a world of our own
The singer and the woman had a special connection
Then oh so suddenly you were gone
The woman left the singer abruptly
The love I depended upon disappeared when you weren't away
The singer was emotionally dependent on the woman's love and it disappeared when she left
Oh devil daughter of darkness, gone is the love that we shared together
The singer continues to blame the woman for the loss of their love
Contributed by Landon T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@caveman385
Is this actually live or is the crowd noise artificial? 🤣🤣 Crazy how they took a Tom Jones song and made it metal. Excellent.
@AlexGunMetal
@rogermsw I think this is from 1986 "Fighting Back" live album
@rogermsw
Which copy of dominator have you got? There is track Daughter of Darkness on the Official Dominator Album And who the hell is the vocalist????? In 1988 Hoof's vocalist was Russ North, that's not Russ North believe me, Sound like some one downloaded a rip off lol