Cloven Hoof (band)

Cloven Hoof
Origin	Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
Genres	Heavy metal, power metal
Years active	1979–1990, 2000–present
Labels	High Roller Records, Elemental Music, Neat Records, FM Revolver, Escape Records
Associated acts	Tredegar, Dementia, UK/DC
Website	Cloven Hoof
Members	Lee Payne, Luke Hatton, George Call, Chris Coss, Danny White

Cloven Hoof are a heavy metal band from Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, that was active from 1979 to 1990, and again from around 2000 onwards. The band was associated with the new wave of British heavy metal movement, alongside bands such as Iron Maiden, Saxon and Diamond Head. Enduring many line-up changes, only founding bassist Lee Payne has remained present throughout the band's career.

Cloven Hoof went through a number of early line-up changes before settling on a steady line-up that would last for their first few recordings. Theatrical from the beginning, the four band members took up pseudonyms based on the four elements: David "Water" Potter, Steve "Fire" Rounds, Lee "Air" Payne and Kevin "Earth" Poutney. This line-up recorded a successful demo tape in 1982, along with The Opening Ritual EP, and the debut Cloven Hoof album.

Following the release of their self-titled debut, David Potter left the band to be replaced by Rob Kendrick, who took up the "Water" pseudonym. This line-up only managed to record the live album Fighting Back before splitting up, leaving Lee Payne as the sole remaining band member.

Lee Payne reactivated the band in 1988, hiring vocalist Russ North and guitarist Andy Wood from Tredegar along with drummer Jon Brown.

With a whole new set of musicians in place, the band dropped the stage names and went on to record two more albums: 1988's Dominator and 1989's A Sultan's Ransom. Former member of Tredegar Lee Jones was brought into the band as a second guitarist soon after the release of these two albums, but contractual difficulties caused the band to split up again in 1990.

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