Sunday, April 19, 2009

CLOVEN HOOF s/t LP (1984)

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1. Cloven Hoof
2. Nightstalker
3. March of the Damned
4. Gates of Gehenna
5. Crack the Whip
6. Laying Down the Law
7. Return of the Passover

I first heard these UK bastards in around 1985 or 1986. What attracted me to them at this point was their satanic/fantasy imagery, and the name. The songs were brilliant in that basic second generation NWOBHM sound. You could tell these guys were influenced and had huge man crushes on the likes of Budgie and Diamond Head. The gallops that these guys pull off on "cloven hoof", and "gates of gehenna" are triumphant in every way(like those early Maiden gallops). "Crack the Whip" sounds now very AC/DCish to me, its sort of a weird track on the album. Pretty sure the vocalist only appeared on this and the first 12", and then quit the band. Finding copies of these records can be difficult as hell. I got mine second hand from a friend/band mate in Latham NY named Mark Szwarcberg who had later moved away from metal, and joined the Marines. I haven't seen him in well over 20 years. Mark was a bass player, and his brother Dave was a godly guitarist. We would spend our days after school jammin on metal songs that we wrote in a basement across the street from his parents house. The stuff started off as more traditional/simple metal(like the stuff Cloven Hoof were playing), then gravitated towards faster speed metal/thrash styles. These two brothers went on to start Horrid Blessing(a name I came up with).

http://www.mediafire.com/?lmttngmmn3y

12 comments:

  1. I never heard this. Its very cool. A great name too

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  2. Best name!! How is the later stuff? A different singer right?
    Drew

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  3. Still giging. Played London a week or two ago

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  4. I used to have three of this bands releases. This one, the "ritual" 12" ep and the LP from 1989 with the coke on the cover. Thanks for reminding me of the music.

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  5. so good! thank you for the music and the story
    -V-

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  6. Thanks for posting! Very cool record!

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  7. one of my favorite metal albums! it's so epic and evil, and the chanting really brings it together, i'd love to find more stuff of this quality!

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  8. Nate, just checking out some older stuff on this blog...killer.
    Got this record for $1 last year from some old Utica metalhead...trashed as hell but plays just fine. The cover was literally scotch taped together.
    Also got the DOF 10" from him for a quarter too!
    I've heard Cloven Hoof is killer live now!
    JJ

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  9. Another band I've never heard before, but this sounds really cool, the name is pretty interesting, makes me think they might be from Scotland, and the cover is awesome as hell.

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  10. I have not ever encountered this type of wonderful information. Today I am proud to say that I have finally gained knowledge about this topic and here on I shall also spread a similar preaching ahead so that the world turns into a better place to live in.

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  11. I have never listened this album , but I think that this album is really cool, I would like to get it!! so I feel so interested on it!!22dd

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