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)
Mutilator
Cloven Hoof Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Razor backed,
Bringer of pain.
Laser bolts
Lance your brain.
Piling on the agony,
Mechanoid brutality.
Tearing limbs
And gouging eyes,
Sadistic butcher
Cleaves and scythes.
Liquidate humanity,
Crime is life
Let none go free.
Hell is now here
All will fall,
God will not intervene at all.
Searching,
Seeking,
Destroying.
Mutilator!
Burning,
Breaking,
Killing.
Mutilator!
Waging pure
And bloody war,
Dreadnaught
Settles old scores.
Slaying his
Creator screams,
Slaughtered as
The blood redeems.
Doomsday monarch
Reigns in death,
Separate you
From your breath.
Genocide across
The land,
Mass extinction
Close at hand.
He will spare no one,
Steel wheels run.
The body count
Goes on and on.
The Earth is cleansed now,
He stands alone.
Cathedral built of cartilage,
Shattered skull and bone.
Corpses piled high
To the sky.
New worlds to ravage
And brutalize.
Hell is now here
All will fall,
God will not intervene at all.
The lyrics to Cloven Hoof's song "Mutilator" tell the story of a mechanized monster that brings destruction and death to the world. The opening lines, "Your all gonna die!" set the apocalyptic tone for the song. The Mutilator is described as a razorback that inflicts great pain with laser bolts that pierce the brain. The creature revels in the suffering that it causes, tearing limbs off and gouging out eyes without remorse.
The verses paint a bleak picture of the Mutilator's mission to liquidate all humanity, driven by a desire to settle old scores. No one is safe from this doomsday monarch, who wages a bloody war of genocide across the land. As the body count rises, the Mutilator's reign of terror only grows stronger. The song concludes with a vivid image of the aftermath of the Mutilator's rampage - a cathedral built from the shattered remains of its victims.
Overall, the lyrics to "Mutilator" are a chilling warning of the dangers of unchecked technological progress and the potential for destruction that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Your all gonna Die!
A warning that everyone will die.
Razor backed,
The Mutilator is fierce and dangerous.
Bringer of pain.
Its purpose is to cause pain to its victims.
Laser bolts
Lance your brain.
The Mutilator uses laser bolts to attack its victims' brains.
Piling on the agony,
Mechanoid brutality.
It causes a lot of pain with its mechanical weapons.
Tearing limbs
And gouging eyes,
It rips apart limbs and takes out eyes.
Sadistic butcher
Cleaves and scythes.
It kills in a cruel and horrifying way.
Liquidate humanity,
Crime is life
Let none go free.
Humanity will be destroyed and the Mutilator thinks that crime is necessary. No one will be spared.
Hell is now here
All will fall,
God will not intervene at all.
The end of the world is upon us and God won't save us.
Searching,
Seeking,
Destroying.
The Mutilator is looking for victims and will destroy them.
Mutilator!
Repeating the name of the Mutilator as a grim reminder of what it is.
Burning,
Breaking,
Killing.
The Mutilator will burn, break, and kill mercilessly.
Waging pure
And bloody war,
The Mutilator is engaging in bloody warfare.
Dreadnaught
Settles old scores.
The Mutilator has scores to settle with entities known as Dreadnaughts.
Slaying his
Creator screams,
The Mutilator kills its own creator and they scream in agony.
Slaughtered as
The blood redeems.
The creator was killed as redemption for creating the Mutilator.
Doomsday monarch
Reigns in death,
The Mutilator is a monarch of death and destruction.
Separate you
From your breath.
The Mutilator will kill you and take your last breath.
Genocide across
The land,
The Mutilator is committing genocide everywhere it goes.
Mass extinction
Close at hand.
All life is on the brink of extinction because of the Mutilator.
He will spare no one,
Steel wheels run.
The Mutilator will kill everyone and its steel wheels will keep moving forward.
The body count
Goes on and on.
The number of people killed by the Mutilator continues to increase.
The Earth is cleansed now,
He stands alone.
The Mutilator has destroyed everything on Earth and is the only thing left.
Cathedral built of cartilage,
Shattered skull and bone.
The Mutilator has built a cathedral out of the remains of its victims' bodies.
Corpses piled high
To the sky.
The number of corpses is so high that they reach the sky.
New worlds to ravage
And brutalize.
The Mutilator will find new worlds to conquer and destroy.
Contributed by Emily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.