Formed in Wolverhampton, England in 1979, Cloven Hoof is a heavy metal band closely associated with the ‘New Wave of British Heavy Metal’ movement that was happening at the time. After several line-up changes in their early career, the line-up of Lee ‘Air’ Payne, David ‘Water’ Potter, Steve ‘Fire’ Rounds, and Kevin ‘Earth’ Poutney recorded their first demo in 1982. That year, they also released The Opening Ritual EP, which was followed in 1984 by their self-titled debut album. David Potter was then replaced by Rob Kendrick, who adopted the ’Water’ nickname / pseudonym. This line-up recorded a live album entitled Fighting Back (1987) before the band split up. Lee Payne decided to continue with Cloven Hoof and recruited a new line-up, who then recorded two albums – Dominator (1988) and A Sultan’s Ransom (1989) – before officially splitting in 1990. Eleven years later, Lee Payne reactivated the Cloven Hoof name with yet another new line-up and began playing live at rock and heavy metal festivals. The band released the album Eye of the Sun in 2006. With a constantly revolving line-up, Cloven Hoof returned in 2008 with The Definitive Part One – a collection of re-recordings – and a new EP entitled Throne of Damnation (2010). Cloven Hoof continued to play rock festivals in Europe, performing on the same stages as groups like Blind Guardian, W.A.S.P, and others. More line-up changes and albums followed including Resist and Serve (2014), Who Mourns for the Morning Star (2017), Age of Steel (2020), Time Assassin (2022), and Heathen Cross (2024). Vocalist Russ North, who had joined Cloven Hoof in 1986 and served several stints with them up through 2012, died on January 1, 2025, at the age of 59.
