Cloven Hoof

Formed in 1979 in the West Midlands, Cloven Hoof have been delivering heavy metal since then, with an hiatus during the 90's, we got in touch with bass player and mentor Lee Payne to talk about this great band.

Q. – Hello Lee! Cloven Hoof started around 1979, tell us a bit about the early days, how did you get together?

Lee - Wow, 1979 that’s a long time ago. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then, but I remember it still. It was a fantastic time for me growing up in England at a very exciting time in metal history. Metal kids really did rule the streets in those days and denim and leather armies were everywhere. Everyone would go anywhere to see a live metal band and with the British music media supporting it was an inspiring time.

Geoff Barton, who later formed Kerrang magazine, was the most important writer at the time. He worked for a music paper called Sounds and all the metal kids bought it. Even before we had a singer I sent a tape to him asking what he thought of the music. He loved the fledgling Cloven Hoof sound and when we eventually got a singer I went down to London and got interviewed by him. It was very prestigious and we got respect even from day one thanks to Geoff. He tipped us for success in his ‘Breaking through in 82' article along with Motley Crew and Venom. As for the original band members getting together, like a lot of bands in those days we were just local metal kids that answered ads in the music stores for musicians and sent tapes to each other to get auditions.

Q. - Cloven Hoof was a theatrical band in the early days with a very interesting concept, who came up with the idea?

Lee - I came up with a concept featuring the names Air, Earth, Fire and Water, which worked as there were four band members at that time. Outlandish stage costumes were donned and heavy Kiss-style makeup and masks. We wanted to be the band we always wanted to see and hear...total senses overkill. In a lot of ways, I think we were ahead of our time because our vision of combining image and music were perfectly suited to the multi-media sci-fi games market and remember we were doing the masks thing years before Slipknot and all the others who have adopted it since. I suppose we must have influenced many bands in presenting themselves in a hard rocking theatrical way. We dropped this concept when the image was getting too much attention. It's the songs that matter most!!!

Q. - Who would you cite as your main influences at the beginning of the band?

Lee - We are a West Midlands band from the heart of England and there is an inherent aggressive sound to our style Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin have all sprung up from the same area as Cloven Hoof and we all have a dark edge that is unmistakable. It is true to say this band could not have come from anywhere else. Maybe life is hard in the concrete and glass industrial heartland. Bands from this area seem to sing about the harsh and depressing things in life. However, I like fantasy worlds more than harsh reality as subject matter, maybe it's a form of escape. JRR Tolkien lived in Birmingham when he was a young man, so we are in good company. I was influenced by bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy and Rush. I used to spend every penny I had buying albums and watching live shows. Looking back, I suppose it was serving a musical apprenticeship because I was in the front row intensely studying the guitar and bass players. I was determined to study the chords and musical progressions of those metal gods. One day I vowed to try and make music that moved other people like the songs from my heroes had moved me. If I could do that, then I had touched the sun and my life would mean something.

Q. - Were you pissed off when David Potter leaved to join H-Bomb?

Lee - Not really, it’s just one of those things you have to get used to when you’re in a band, there is no point being pissed off if someone feels their path lies elsewhere.

Q. - After such masterpieces as "Dominator" and "A Sultan's Ransom", why did you decide to call it a day? What happened that lead to the break?

Lee - It was not a matter of deciding to call it a day it was down the contractual difficulties that we encountered. After the release of Dominator in 1988, there was a huge buzz around Cloven Hoof I was convinced that this was the momentum that would carry us through to a real breakthrough deal to put us alongside the metal juggernauts of that time. Ex Judas Priest manager David Hemmings approached us and wanted to manage us through this exciting period. Dave managed to set us up with a life changing record deal with CBS records but during negotiations he tragically died in the middle of a deal with CBS for Cloven Hoof. This caused a lot of legal trouble for us because many people with a sniff of money to be made came out of the woodwork and claimed they had a piece of the band based on David's negotiations. It was a nightmare, but we have thankfully long been free of those ties now, thank goodness.

Q. - What are your thoughts about the 90's? Did you feel it was bad times for heavy metal bands?

Lee - Heavy metal did take a hit during the 90s, the grunge bands were becoming fashionable and it was considered dated to playing guitar solos… I mean really! Hopefully those who thought the guitar solo dead are hangin’ their heads in shame! But for Cloven Hoof we missed the 90s anyway because of the aforementioned contractual difficulties so they sort of passed us by, but thankfully the world has been restored and heavy metal is back for good!

Q. - After some singer changes, do you feel that George Call is the right person for the job? How did you meet him? Were you familiar with Aska?

Lee - I first met George when we were both on the bill to play ‘Keep Lt True’ festival in Germany. George was there with Aska and they were on stage just before us. I had been doing interviews for most the morning so I thought there was just time to catch the group on just before us. Initially I wanted to hear what the sound out front was like but when I heard the vocalist, I was totally blown away! All my life I had a vision in my head what I wanted Cloven Hoof to sound like. Musically we had come close but I was never 100% happy with the vocalist. In the past sure we had some great singers the best probably being Matt Moreton on reflection, but still I was after a certain Dio/Halford delivery. Imagine the shock I got hearing George in full voice looking great … and he was playing a mean rhythm guitar too! It was like finding the missing piece to a jigsaw that I had been after all my career, but how could I entice him to play in my band? As coincidence would have it whilst getting changed for our set this guy came into our dressing room asking could he speak to Lee Payne? He said he was our biggest fan and he wanted some albums signed. It was none other than the killer singer I had just been watching! We hit it off right away! At the end of the festival we agreed one day we would work together when the time was right. Well, now that day has arrived at long last and we are going to make the most of it!

Q. - "Who Mourns for the Morning Star?" was edited last year and was very acclaimed on heavy metal magazines, what do you feel about it? Are you happy with its final result?

Lee - I am more than happy with the final result; I might be so bold as to say it’s the best album we have produced to date. Every song is different and yet somehow fits together. We try to show where we have come from musically and pave the way for a future direction. In my mind Cloven Hoof have always been some kind of atypical NWOBHM band. I think this theme continues on Who Mourns For The Morning Star, because the nine tracks show influences of epic metal, speed metal, melodic metal and even progressive metal, we have dug deep explored all facets of our musical identity on Who Mourns For The Morning Star. No one can ever say we keep on recycling the same three chord trick. Cloven Hoof is forever expanding its musical aspirations and no two songs will ever be the same, I promise. Hopefully there is something for everybody on our albums because stylistically we are a very broad church within a heavy metal framework.

Q. - By some form did you try to approach the sound that turned you well known back in the 80's, a return to the roots?

Lee - It definitely was not a conscious decision to try to recreate the 80s vibe, and I’m not certain I would agree that Morning Star does. We stand apart from many N.W.O.B.H.M bands because our sound is undiluted heavy metal fused with prog rock type multi time changes.

Q. - Hard n’ Heavy music does not pay bills to many people, is it difficult to make this kind of music today?

Lee - If we were in it for the money we would have given up long ago! But it’s probably easier to make music these days than it ever was given the huge advances in recording software and electronic formats, however it just as hard as it ever was to make money! What doesn’t change whether its today or 40 years ago is that you need to have the songs in your head in the first place to be able to make the music.

Q. - Why didn't things work out with Russ North, Andy Wood and Jon Brown when they returned some years ago?

Lee - There are always many factors at play when things don’t work out, too many to go into here.

Q. - Do you think the line-up instabilities prevented Cloven Hoof to reach a higher level?

Lee - That is the million dollar question! It has been troublesome to find the right people with both the talent and commitment to match and personnel change has not been good for the band and we have received much criticism for it over the years, but it’s often been out of our control.  Chris has been with us now since 2011 so he has provided some stability over the last 7 years. To be fair there aren’t many bands that have been in the game for 40 years that still have all the original members but I accept we’ve had more than our fair share of changes.

Q. - What's the biggest difficulties you have faced all over the years to keep Cloven Hoof alive?

Lee - After all the trials and tribulations you have to go through in a band with a 40-year history you have to really love what you are doing. It is true to say I enjoy being in Cloven Hoof more today than ever. I really appreciate the fans sticking with us all these years and our audiences are getting younger every day. We are bigger now than ever so Cloven Hoof must be doing something right!

The hardest part about being in a band is getting the right musicians because the chemistry must be perfect. Everyone has to be great musicians because the songs are challenging to play, but you need all the other qualities too. A band has to have dedicated team players who get on like a family. Sometimes it feels like you are gladiators going into the arena and it is your little band of people against the world. When you take the stage everyone is all on the same side united in metal brotherhood and the feeling can be a magical experience.

We have had terrible contractual problems in the past. We have had to deal with rip-off managers and agents too numerous to mention. In the end, it boils down to your belief in your music and the genre. You just have to have an iron will and the heart of a fighter. Your audience will find you in the end if you stick around long enough.

Q. - It's been hard to keep this line up together, since some of the band members are from the USA and the others are from the UK?

Lee - The biggest challenges in having members from UK and USA are financial. It is costly for European promotors to fly over two members of the band from the USA and obviously the same vice versa. So sadly some shows are just not viable, that said we will always try to make it happen if we can as we love nothing more than playing live shows whether huge festivals or underground venues and meeting the fans who’ve come out to see us.

Q. - "The BBC Sessions" are going to be released by HRR, are you satisfied with this new release?

Lee - Definitely, these have been in our archives for a long time and we are super happy that High Roller has released them, it’s a very important part our history and growth, so it’s great to have the opportunity to share this with everyone.

Q. - What do you think of this recent revival of the N.W.O.B.H.M., and all these bands reforming?

Lee - That is the test of good music, if it can stand the test of time then that is how you can judge its worth. Heavy Metal music in our genre is steeped in quality that leaves people coming back to it over and over again, NWOBHM is experiencing a revival that can be put down to many things, media coverage, fashion, maybe younger fans of heavy metal are discovering N.W.O.B.H.M, whatever the reason, long may it continue there is nothing better than playing to packed houses full of fanatical Heavy Metal fans! I love to listen to new music from old bands like ourselves (laughs), bands like Mythra have had great new releases like ourselves that’s getting a good reception, long may it continue. It is important however that the revival remains more than just a nostalgia trip in order for the revival and growth to be sustainable, this is how we like to approach it.

Q. - Anything more you want to say, to end up this interview?

Lee - Cloven Hoof is experiencing the best time of its history and this is all down to the fans. The way they have received the new album and the reception we get at the live shows has been fantastic. We can’t wait to see you on the road in 2019, make sure you get to the merch booth after the show and we guarantee we’ll be there to say hello and sign your albums or take photos. See you on tour!

Thank you for your time, and wish you all the best for the future!