Here is another band I hadn’t realised were still at it, Cloven Hoof. I firmly remember them starting to make an impression just as the NWOBHM was starting to lose steam in the UK. There have been a few gaps over the years since then but founding member and bassist Lee Payne has kept at it, and here they are back with their seventh studio album. Taken on its own, this is a fine album with a really punchy and aggressive approach. They use keyboards when they are needed to provide an additional choral emphasis, but for the most part this is a good old-fashioned metal band heavily influenced by Iron Maiden. However, that is also an issue in they have been so heavily influenced that huge parts of “Alderley Edge” appear to have been inadvertently taken from “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son”. This is a real shame, as there was just no need for it as the album is strong enough without elements like this, and anyone into Maiden will spot it immediately. I had a quick look on the web to see if anyone else had mentioned it and in the very first review I checked out on Metal Invader Kostas Kondis says, “the aura of Iron Maiden is also very strong, sometimes to a point higher than desired”. So, it’s not just me then. I am really annoyed this was allowed to get all the way through to an album, as a metal band should know better, and this aside the album is a great example of a band sticking to their roots but also providing polish and finesse which has come with experience.

If Maiden fans can look past this, then this is an album which anyone into their style of music will really enjoy this. Here we have a band who are still relevant and pushing out great material, not wishing to just rely on what they sounded like back in the old days but are continuing to keep pushing forward. All power to Lee for keeping the band intact, yet this is much more than just a one man outfit and a call out needs to go to singer George Call who has great pipes, while guitarists Chris Coss and Ash Baker know just how to deliver the goods and Mark Bristow keeps this all tied down at the back. If anyone thought that Cloven Hoof were a relic then this album will shatter those assumptions.

Rating: 7/10

Links:
https://clovenhoof.net/
https://www.puresteel-records.com/