Thursday, October 23, 2014
if you missed it: CERRIDWEN from the state of Washington
Cerridwen
This symphonic band on its Facebook page says that they are putting together the final masters of the EP “Aconitum.” There’s not much information to impart at the moment, but the song “Lanaera” is on YouTube. Not sure if that’s a demo version or not, but it gives a good idea of the style of the band. www.facebook.com/CerridwenMusic
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Cloven Hoof, part 4 of the interview: on punk, Priest, Van Halen, Montrose, and of course, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
interview with NWOBHM band CLOVEN HOOF
Cloven Hoof (U.K.)
After this brief intro, below is the new part of the interview!
Cloven Hoof—the New Wave of British Heavy Metal band—here in this interview provides a wonderful explanation about the current state of the band. They have a new album in 2014 called “Resist or Serve.” If you support traditional heavy metal and its aesthetics, or if you are crazy about the madness, chaos and glory of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, I highly recommend putting Cloven Hoof’s 2014 album on your list, if you have not done so yet. The band is definitely rocking in 2014, as you will gather from this interview.
Secondly, this interview is really good because bassist Lee Payne went all out and truly answered the questions presented to him. I imagine that he spent hours answering the questions. His effort to answer the questions is very, very professional. Lee explains lots about heavy metal in the 70s as he lived it and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal as he experienced it. In addition, given the nature of the written word, Lee’s explanations are multi-dimensional, with nuances that give much fuller elucidations on metal music, instead of just making inaccurate generalizations (like we often hear that “Sabbath invented metal music.”). Thanks to Lee for this wonderful interview.
Read it and get ready to learn much about Cloven Hoof and metal, including information that is often omitted in discussions about metal music. www.clovenhoof.net
www.facebook.com/clovenhoof1979
www.hrrecords.de
What did you think about punk in the late 70s? Were you at all interested in those songs and bands? Different metal people say different things on this issue, but I wonder how you felt about it.
Personally, I think the punk thing gave the music industry a big kick up the ass, which was highly commendable. The movement brought attention to young people having something to say with music. The songs were short and energetic, so it left the way open to banish over long self indulgent crap that some bands were turning out. Above all the rebellious spirit was the best thing about punk and the working-class attitude, I loved that. They rattled the establishment and put two fingers up to the upper class snobs so for that I am in agreement. However, apart from the Sex Pistols, who were funny and The Clash and The Stranglers, I thought most the bands were musically useless. Motorhead had a lot of punk fans, but there were big fights at their gigs with the metal kids. The punks had the shit kicked out of them lol! The New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement gathered momentum at the tail end of punk so that was a great thing. People liked the excitement of punk, but needed better musicianship and songs with more imagination and substance: enter a new generation of metal masters!
The problem of the oversimplification of the history of metal
Do you at all recall anybody in your circle of friends taking notice of the first Van Halen album in 1978 and that type of guitar work? Did you personally like UFO and Dio-era Rainbow? What about Scorpions? Metal people often simplify things and make it appear as if Sabbath "invented" metal and forget to put things in context and end up dismissing Zeppelin and Purple. But the modern guitar tone in metal comes more from Priest, Scorpions and UFO, than the slow blues/garage rock of early 70s Sabbath. Is it correct to omit Eddie Van Halen (or UFO!) when discussing classic metal guitar work, in your opinion? So, that first Van Halen meant nothing to young metal musicians who dreamed of being the next guitar hero? We know that Van Halen soon became something else, but I'm talking about 1978, in that moment, not the silly glam image of the 80s videos.
I was into Van Halen from day one. I heard Allan Freeman a great Rock DJ play “Running with the Devil” on his Friday show on BBC Radio One. I was blown away so when they supported Black Sabbath on the “Never Say Die” tour I got to see them before they made it really big. I was eager to see how he played that tapping technique that revolutionised metal lead playing. As usual, I was down the front studying closely. Eddie was amazing and like Uli Jon Roth, had all the techniques, forced harmonics, whammy bar squeals and a killer guitar sound. I remember him playing some kind of Strat and having a white Les Paul supporting Sabbath at Birmingham Odeon on that tour, something he is not seen with too often.
I loved UFO with Schenker. I saw them three or four times during the “Obsession” tour and I saw the Scorpions debut in England, too. I had the honour of spending three weeks with Michael on tour a few years back, we got on like a house on fire.
Rainbow with Dio was my favourite band ever and Ronnie will always be my favourite singer and Ritchie my alltime favourite guitarist. Your observations, Mo, are spot on Purple and Zep are just as important as Sabs in the development of metal. Thin Lizzy and Wishbone Ash really pioneered the twin guitar attack, too. Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Jethro Tull and Kiss made a huge contribution, too. All these bands are still a constant source of inspiration and their music is timeless. Certainly there would be no Iron Maiden without Priest. Rob Halford said Cloven Hoof is a bit Priest, and a bit Lizzy and then there's Rush and it's epic and “jeez you must have an original sound because I can't place what you are?” Nowadays they call us pioneers of power metal, whatever that is lol! I thought we were New Wave Of British Heavy Metal! Maybe our sound has refined and mutated over the years, but the essence remains the same. You can always tell its Cloven Hoof no matter who the vocalist is. I suppose it is my writing that defines us, a bit like Steve Harris does with Maiden. We both approach songs with lead bass guitar as a foundation.
Priest benefitted big time from the buzz around the younger metal bands because they already had the business structures to take advantage of the situation. Whereas a younger band like yourselves was simply trying to get started and get noticed. Saxon and Maiden also had been around in the 70s for years before they became famous. Do you agree with this assessment? Would you mind commenting on it?
LEE:
I personally know Rob Halford well and he was a big help to us getting started and I toured with Saxon so I can give you a bit of an insight. It was tough for Priest until they got David Hemming, an ex road manager for Black Sabbath who got them a deal with CBS label. David also persuaded Rob to adopt the leather look on stage because he was already frequenting clubs that favoured that image. CBS were the biggest label in the world so they had big machinery behind them. Priest went from strength to strength, deservedly so and eventually ended up getting Bill Curbishley management. Bill also managed The Who and Robert Plant and he now has our singer Joe on his books. Bill had the publishing on our “Dominator” (1988) album when it was released also.
After Priest David Hemmings managed us, but 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 claimed they had a piece of the band based on David's negotiations. It was a nightmare, but we are free of those ties now, thank goodness.
Biff told me he used to play bass before being a singer and it was very tough getting a deal in the old days. He was from Barnsley, a tough Yorkshire town and they had to fight for years until Geoff Barton championed a new metal movement in the face of punk rock. It opened the doors to a host of new bands including Def Leppard and Iron Maiden. Without Sounds and Kerrang’s support it would have been almost impossible breaking through.
We had to do it the hard way because by the time Cloven Hoof were ready to gig the bubble had burst and the British music media were very anti anything resembling true metal. It is sadly true to this day the British media and music papers suck!!!! They never support British talent and are only there to promote pop and TV fashion trends. In a way I am very proud of being a cult band without hype or artifice of any kind. We are the real deal and the fans respect us for never selling out and sticking to our guns.
Even now there are offers for us to sign to a big label and become more commercial with Joe in the band. He has the looks that make the girls go wild and a killer voice. But I have told them Cloven Hoof are a metal band and always will be no matter how much they offer, they can stick their money where the sun don't shine. We belong on the High Roller Record label because they care about metal and nothing else. Some call me crazy to do that, but the music and the fans are all that matters. Money is not our god and the corporate labels can go fuck themselves. We will NEVER surrender and will always keep it true!
But I believe that is what is fantastic about true metal fans, they make their own minds up and are not mindless sheep. They know what is good and what's not, they are the most loyal and intelligent free thinking people in the world and I am proud to play for them. Without the fans Cloven Hoof are nothing and I will always push myself to be worthy of their love and respect.
Other bands have a safety net or a cushion whilst on a major label. They have lots of money and security, so do not care if they release a good album or not. We have no safety net and every song has to count. I try to give the fans quality and make every track have its own sound and identity. They are like little self-contained movies that tell a story. The reviews for “Resist or Serve” have been incredible and we have got nothing but 9 and 8.5 out of 10 right across the board. Some very intelligent writers have given us 5 out of 5, too, which has filled us with pride I can tell you. It is so good to get this kind of reaction because it makes all the hard work worth it.
Out of curiosity, did you ever listen to the Montrose debut back in the 70s. I have read the certain members of Maiden really liked that album from 1973. Nowadays, that album is almost completely forgotten by metal documentaries and musicians, yet it is a rocking, high energy heavy metal album. I guess the image of the party rock Sammy Hagar has made people dismiss that early Montrose, but it's a surprisingly metal album.
The Montrose album was incredible I loved it the first moment I heard it. Ronnie was years ahead of his time, too, because he had a great guitar sound and superb technique. I was disappointed with the “Paper Money” album, but the “Montrose” album is a classic. Space Station No 5, Make it Last, Bad Motor Scooter, Rock the Nation are all cool as hell tracks. It is criminally underrated, as you say it is high energy and a truly great metal album.
Ok, I will stop here. If I were rich, I would travel to the U.K. and interview you in person with a camera! I know it takes time to answer these questions. I appreciate you taking the time to read them and answer them.
LEE: If you ever do come to England, Mo, you will have to stay at my place, you are very welcome. Thank you for your kind words they are very much appreciated. Take care tell the fans in Washington, we hope to see them next year! Keep playing that metal LOUD!
THE END
Cloven Hoof - Brimstone and Fire (Resist or Serve 2014)
Cloven Hoof - Deliverance (Resist Or Serve 2014)
Here is some earlier Cloven Hoof.
Cloven Hoof - Astral Rider - A Sultan's Ransom (1989)
Cloven Hoof - Nova Battlestar
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Have you heard the death metal of?: Vanhelgd (Sweden): "Relics of Sulphur Salvation"
Some describe the sound of Vanhelgd as:
"pure death, played with relentless and nuanced savagery. VANHELGD’s natural skill for crafting monumental songs suggests early At The Gates, Entombed, Dismember and Asphyx, yet on a more modernized standard alongside Miasmal, Morbus Chron and at times, even with the epic ebb of Watain."
Hear for yourself
www.facebook.com/vanhelgd
interview with CLOVEN HOOF, part 3: growing up a metal music fanatic in the 1970s
interview with NWOBHM band CLOVEN HOOF
Cloven Hoof (U.K.)
After this brief intro, below is the new part of the interview!
Cloven Hoof—the New Wave of British Heavy Metal band—here in this interview provides a wonderful explanation about the current state of the band. They have a new album in 2014 called “Resist or Serve.” If you support traditional heavy metal and its aesthetics, or if you are crazy about the madness, chaos and glory of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, I highly recommend putting Cloven Hoof’s 2014 album on your list, if you have not done so yet. The band is definitely rocking in 2014, as you will gather from this interview.
Secondly, this interview is really good because bassist Lee Payne went all out and truly answered the questions presented to him. I imagine that he spent hours answering the questions. His effort to answer the questions is very, very professional. Lee explains lots about heavy metal in the 70s as he lived it and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal as he experienced it. In addition, given the nature of the written word, Lee’s explanations are multi-dimensional, with nuances that give much fuller elucidations on metal music, instead of just making inaccurate generalizations (like we often hear that “Sabbath invented metal music.”). Thanks to Lee for this wonderful interview.
Read it and get ready to learn much about Cloven Hoof and metal, including information that is often omitted in discussions about metal music. www.clovenhoof.net
www.facebook.com/clovenhoof1979
www.hrrecords.de
On growing up a metal music fanatic in the 1970s
What are some of your earliest memories with rock music that had an impact on you? You were born in 1960. Were you at all interested in rock at the age of 12, let's say? That would be 1972, a very productive period for so many U.K. rock bands.
LEE:
Well, as a kid I was very rebellious due to the fact my parents moved around England a lot as publicans. They once owned hotels in Cornwall and Weymouth, but in the end we always ended up back in the West Midlands, that is where my true roots are. Through all this moving about I was always getting into fights being the new kid in town and I was pretty good at it, too! To this day I am still a bit of a loner who likes to be creative and use his imagination, I never run with the pack and am very strong minded. I am totally driven and dedicated. I very much like to make my own mind up about things and Cloven Hoof is my life's work so I care passionately about the band. Music is my life and I will always put it first, no matter what.
I was twelve years old when I first heard “Machine Head” by Deep Purple and I was an immediate fan. I then got into “Vol. 4” and “Paranoid” by Sabbath, then “four symbols” by Led Zep. 1972 was a very good year for me and I spent all my time listening to music. The band Cream were great, too, and I loved Alice Cooper. By 1975 I was something of an expert concerning all things metal. The first live show I saw was Rainbow at Birmingham Odeon in 1975, then the “Technical Ecstasy” tour with Black Sabbath in 1976, I think it was. Over the years I saw hundreds of metal bands, but I always go back to the same old favourites.
But being so young, does it mean, then, that to you, the old pioneer bands were simply not as relevant to you? Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin would have been in decline by the time you were in your late teens.
LEE: Hey, thanks for the compliment my friend, but I am older than I look lol. All those bands were right in my teens and I was lucky enough to see them all live. I was awestruck by these epic groups and I was a dedicated fan of them to the point of obsession. I saw Zeppelin at Knebworth and fought my way through 200,000 people to get at the boards down the front. I stood knee deep in mud for 16 hours and had bottles, bike frames and beer cans thrown at my head, but I loved every minute of it! So imagine how cool it was years later having Robert Plant taking my music into radio stations for me. Wow, it was such an honour and a privilege I can tell you. (The biggest perk in this business is you get to meet all your heroes!)
By the way, let's say in 1975, if you remember, did you have any sort of notion of something called heavy rock or heavy metal, or to you, Sabbath and the Who, Zeppelin and the Stones were just all rock music. Do you remembering making any distinctions? Was it around 1978 and 1979 that you were feeling as part of something called heavy metal?
LEE: Stones and Who were more of a rock act so were not aggressive or loud enough to capture my imagination. Zeppelin had inflections of blues roots, but they were dark, magical and heavy. However, “Whole Lotta Love” and the “Immigrant Song” are definitely all out true metal tracks. Jethro Tull was a folk and metal crossover band, but I loved them. They were technical and almost medieval sounding at times. I was very aware what parameters these bands were expanding and I admired them breaking new ground. I hate safe albums that is why Hoof has a huge band width and I try to keep it varied and musically interesting. Someone called us a thinking man’s metal band, I like that a lot!
When I was at school I had just bought “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” and “Tyranny and Mutation” by The Blue Oyster Cult. Some kid saw me with the albums and said, “So you like heavy metal music?” That was in 1973 so the term was used in England back then for sure.
What are your earliest memories of the idea of heavy metal as a distinct genre? I think I have read that one of the members of Holocaust says that the first time he became aware of heavy metal as such was with a Scorpions album, that apparently was labeled “heavy metal.” Of course, those old Scorpion albums from 1975-1979 sound metal in the way that late 70s Priest sounds metal, different from the older blues/rock/garage rock of Sabbath. However, some people seem to want to dismiss old Scorpions simply because the band went mellow in the late 80s.
LEE:
Steppenwolf used the term in “Born to Be Wild”
I like smoke and lightning
heavy metal thunder.
Racin' with the wind
and the feelin' that I'm under
Maybe that is where Heavy Metal got it's moniker from? Before then it was known as progressive rock. I got into music because of “Highway Star” by Deep Purple. I heard that song and it hit like a bolt of lightning and I knew I just had to learn how to play that song! I learned it on guitar then switched to bass because I wanted to play with Ritchie Blackmore one day lol! I wrote the song “Northwind to Valhalla” on the new album as my humble tribute to the great man and the memory of Ronnie James Dio. God rest him!
Metal certainly has evolved a lot over the years and it will continue to do so. The Kinks had riff based songs in the 1960s and no one mentions them. “All The Day And All of The Night” is a heavy distorted guitar riff and “You Really Got Me” is a prime example of this technique also. So who knows who really has the honour of being the first metal riff maker? It's open to conjecture, I'm just glad it caught on!
END of part 3. There is one final part of the interview coming up!
Hear two songs from the 2014 album by Cloven Hoof.
Cloven Hoof - Brimstone and Fire (Resist or Serve 2014)
Cloven Hoof - Deliverance (Resist Or Serve 2014)
interview with NWOBHM band CLOVEN HOOF (part 2): a bit of history of Cloven Hoof
interview with NWOBHM band CLOVEN HOOF
Cloven Hoof (U.K.)
Cloven Hoof—the New Wave of British Heavy Metal band—here in this interview provides a wonderful explanation about the current state of the band. They have a new album in 2014 called “Resist or Serve.” If you support traditional heavy metal and its aesthetics, or if you are crazy about the madness, chaos and glory of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, I highly recommend putting Cloven Hoof’s 2014 album on your list, if you have not done so yet. The band is definitely rocking in 2014, as you will gather from this interview.
Secondly, this interview is really good because bassist Lee Payne went all out and truly answered the questions presented to him. I imagine that he spent hours answering the questions. His effort to answer the questions is very, very professional. Lee explains lots about heavy metal in the 70s as he lived it and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal as he experienced it. In addition, given the nature of the written word, Lee’s explanations are multi-dimensional, with nuances that give much fuller elucidations on metal music, instead of just making inaccurate generalizations (like we often hear that “Sabbath invented metal music.”). Thanks to Lee for this wonderful interview.
Read it and get ready to learn much about Cloven Hoof and metal, including information that is often omitted in discussions about metal music. www.clovenhoof.net
www.facebook.com/clovenhoof1979
www.hrrecords.de
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On the history of Cloven Hoof
Cloven Hoof is founded in 1979. Would you mind going back in time to that year and how the band came about, as you remember it? From watching documentaries on metal music and reading interviews with bands talking about the period, we get the impression of 1979 as a sort of big bang explosion of modern metal music as we know it today. Yet, I wonder what it was like for you personally? What was happening in your life that motivated you to form a band?
LEE:
Wow, 1979 was it really all that 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.
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. Cloven Hoof is the only band I have ever been in until recently when I was helping singer Joe out in his solo project. Even then it is just until he sorts out suitable replacements. The Hoof always comes first!
So, then, in 1979, you have a band. Now what happened? Did you all feel in competition with other bands? Did your band feel isolated from what happening or were you all very much playing concerts around town and the region and making friends with other bands?
I didn't feel in competition with other bands because I didn't care about what anyone else was doing. I just cared about Cloven Hoof and how far we could take it. I guess you are isolated and in a bubble because you need to have single-minded focus and not to be too influenced by other people. You have to have your own sound and identity, that was our strength. I was friends with Brian Tatler from Diamond Head and I liked what they were doing a lot. It was funny because we tried to poach each other, he wanted me to join him and I tried to get him to be in Cloven Hoof lol!
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 unmistakeable. 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.
Cloven Hoof was originally formed in Wolverhampton, the heart of the West Midlands, England in 1979. The group went through various line up changes until spring 1982 when the band line up consisted of myself, bass guitar, David Potter, vocals, Steve Rounds, lead guitar and Kevin Poutney drums.
The first demo tape we did together was given the thumbs up from no lesser stars than Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) who took a copy of the tape into national Radio One and Rob Halford (Judas Priest) who got it played on a radio station in Phoenix, Arizona. The station was bombarded with heavy metal callers who wanted to know more about the band. Soon afterwards the group were taken under the wing of ex Judas Priest manager David Hemmings.
The Opening Ritual a four-track mini album was released in July of 1982 and the EP stayed in the Sounds and Kerrang heavy metal charts for six weeks peaking at number 18. Articles in Kerrang and Noise magazine followed by Geoff Barton tipping the band for the top in his prestigious "Breaking through in 82 feature" and play list.
The image adopted by ourselves during this period was worth noting as there were 4 band members, I came up with a concept featuring the names Air, Earth, Fire and Water. 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. 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!!!
Metal Archives says that your demo is from 1982. Are there any recordings from 1979 or 1980? Why did it take so long for your first EP to come out in 1982? Did you personally feel very frustrated that you were taking so long to get the recording done? Were you sensing that it was time to strike while the iron was hot, so to speak?
It was very frustrating trying to find the right singer at the time. We didn't get Dave Potter until 1981 and before then we had made demos with various inadequate vocalists. Our music was years ahead of its time so getting the right musicians was very problematic. Most guitarists were too blues influenced at the time and they had no idea of the palm muting techniques so important in playing metal. Cloven Hoof had multi time changes and played fast and loud, so we had to get great players. That was why it took us quite a while to take off really. Also, I am a bit of a perfectionist and I wanted to be well rehearsed before unveiling the band to an awaiting metal public.
There are some old demos still in my possession and one day High Roller Records will release them, no doubt.
THE END of part 2. The next segment will go back into the 70s and the heavy metal of that time.
Monday, October 20, 2014
the black metal of VALDRIN (Ohio, U.S.)
Valdrin is a new band to Metal Bulletin Zine. The echoes of Emperor pepper the music of Valdrin, a band that seems fearless to mix black metal with prog elements.
You can hear a track from album below. Valdrin is from Ohio, U.S.
VALDRIN: Beyond the Forest
1. A Drain in the River (intro) 03:30
2. Beyond the Forest 10:23
3. Rusalka Succubus 05:14
4. Serpent Willow 02:43
5. Impaled Visions Breed Within the Vines 05:53
6. Calling to the Canidae Horde 04:55
7. Through the Catacombs 07:07
8. Come Forth 04:11
9. Darkness as Black as Evil 06:51
10. Battles in the Mdieval Sky 04:20
11. In the Vortex of Time / Relinquish Flesh 05:05
12. Forgotten Souls 06:11
TOTAL TIME 01:06:23
www.facebook.com/valdrinausadjur
the latest issue of Metal Bulletin Zine, number 46
Fuglymaniacs has available for reading and downloading the latest issue of Metal Bulletin Zine, number 46.
among the bands covered this time are:
Grabnebelfürsten (Germany) Brood of Hatred (Tunisia) Septicflesh (Greece)
AlNamrood (Saudi Arabia) Brain Damage (Germany) Hod (U.S.)
www.fuglymaniacs.com
the death metal of SEMPITERNAL DUSK (Oregon, U.S.)
The crazies into Incantation and Imprecation and in general the heaviest death metal in the world will be glad to hear this band from Oregon, U.S.
For those who are keeping track of metal in Oregon, you might like to know that Tim Call is the drummer/vocalist in this band, according to Metal Archives. That just about means that Mr. Call is in about 50 projects and bands, and people are starting to wonder whether Mr. Call is taking over Oregon.
Hear a track below and get ready for the massive death metal of the caves of Oregon.
Sempiternal Dusk: Sempiternal Dusk (Dark Descent Records)
1. Moon Beneath Hook Cross 14:58
2. Streams of Night 09:14
3. Upon the Gallows at Perihelion 12:16
4. Seclusion of the Bereaved 08:26
5. Urn of Dawn 01:42
TOTAL TIME 46:36
https://www.facebook.com/SempiternalDusk
www.darkdescentrecords.com
Sunday, October 19, 2014
interview with NWOBHM band CLOVEN HOOF (part 1)
interview with NWOBHM band CLOVEN HOOF
Cloven Hoof (U.K.)
Cloven Hoof—the New Wave of British Heavy Metal band—here in this interview provides a wonderful explanation about the current state of the band. They have a new album in 2014 called “Resist or Serve.” If you support traditional heavy metal and its aesthetics, or if you are crazy about the madness, chaos and glory of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, I highly recommend putting Cloven Hoof’s 2014 album on your list, if you have not done so yet. The band is definitely rocking in 2014, as you will gather from this interview.
Secondly, this interview is really good because bassist Lee Payne went all out and truly answered the questions presented to him. I imagine that he spent hours answering the questions. His effort to answer the questions is very, very professional. Lee explains lots about heavy metal in the 70s as he lived it and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal as he experienced it. In addition, given the nature of the written word, Lee’s explanations are multi-dimensional, with nuances that give much fuller elucidations on metal music, instead of just making inaccurate generalizations (like we often hear that “Sabbath invented metal music.”). Thanks to Lee for this wonderful interview.
Read it and get ready to learn much about Cloven Hoof and metal, including information that is often omitted in discussions about metal music. www.clovenhoof.net
www.facebook.com/clovenhoof1979
www.hrrecords.de
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Lee, so what is Cloven Hoof doing in 2014? This summer of 2014 the band's new album was released "Resist or Serve." What type of activities is the band doing in 2014 and plans for 2015? How you would describe 2014 for Cloven Hoof? After all, it is an incredible amount of work putting an album together, lots of frustration, hard work, obstacles, inconveniences, but also fun in the creative process.
LEE:
“Resist or Serve”is an album I am immensely proud of. I wanted to get back to our roots and capture the magic and energy level of our “Opening Ritual” EP (1982) and the debut album (“Cloven Hoof” 1984). It has an air of brooding menace and is very dark and aggressive sounding. That in part is thanks to the fantastic Patrick Engel whose production is masterful. He really understands totally what Cloven Hoof is all about. Every song has its own character and story line, Patrick brought out all the intricate dynamics perfectly. He is such a genius!
We did all the pre-production recording at Jailhouse Rocks!, a studio in our home town of Wolverhampton. We sent the files to be mixed, mastered and produced by the greatest metal producer of them all... Patrick Engel. I don’t know where to begin to praise him highly enough. Patrick has such amazing ears and his attention to detail is phenomenal. He is the real deal and a great authority on all things metal. He really did us justice and got the very best out of our performances. The playing is without doubt the best we have ever produced.
At our core I feel are very much a N.W.O.B.H.M band, but there is much more to us than that. Because we play complex song structures sometimes then the prog metal guys dig us. I think we are an important group because we are the link between Rush and Judas Priest. Cloven Hoof's music is a broad church and we have a large bandwidth. Sometimes we are speed metal, at others we are epic and melodic. There are always multi-time changes and lyrics that tell a story like in a movie. It is hard to analyse your music because everyone has their own perception and personal interpretation of it. That's what makes music so interesting don't you think?
After all the trials and tribulations you have to go through in a band with a 30-year history you have to really love what you are doing. It is true to say I enjoy being in Cloven Hoof more today then ever. I really appreciate the fans sticking with us all these years and our audiences are getting younger every day. That is the test of good music, if it can stand the test of time then that is how you can judge its worth. 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.
2014 has been a fantastic year with us playing Sweden Rock festival with Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper, it was a dream come true. France was incredible too and the audiences went wild. “Resist or Serve” has sold so well that just a few months after release I have had to start work writing the follow-up album.
Joe, the singer, has been offered a part in the multi- million selling War of the Worlds musical by Jeff Wayne himself for the rest of the year, that is proof how far the band have come. We just have to be collectively careful of our own success and keep our feet on the ground.
You are working on a new album already?!
Yes, absolutely! Demand for the band has exceeded all expectations. I am writing at a truly prolific rate at the moment because I feel so inspired by the huge steps forward we have taken these past few years. The songs are flowing easily and our sound is now well defined. It is powerful and epic with anthemic choruses, but there is a certain darkness to it these days. I guess this maybe due to the return to our occult-driven roots. I am fascinated with this subject matter again and the nightmares I get dwelling on the supernatural, inspires me a lot in my writing.
Lee, would you mind telling us about the line up for the band? We know that you are a founding member from the band's beginning in 1979, but as you can imagine, we don't necessarily know where the other band members came from musically. For instance, who is Joe Whelan? He's been singing in the band since 2012, correct?
LEE:
The present band have been playing together since late 2011 when Joe joined as lead guitarist after being highly recommended by Mick Brookes at One Way Music, musical instrument shop in Wolverhampton situated in the heart of the industrial West Midlands, England. Mick recorded the first Cloven Hoof demo back in 1979 and he has been a good friend of mine and the band ever since. Joe had visited the store and was on the look out for a new band to join. He mentioned to Mr. Brookes that he had seen an article that Cloven Hoof were searching for a new lead guitarist. He wanted a chance to audition for the band, but he did not know them personally. Mick phoned me up immediately and told him to forget auditioning anyone else, he had found the perfect man for the job who was truly world class. I got in touch with Joe and on meeting him instantly knew that Mick was right!
This would be a good time to introduce the new personnel:
Joe is above all things a born star! He has talent in abundance. He sings and plays guitar like a virtuoso, not only this, but he writes great songs and has the image of an Adonis. The girls love him with all the muscles and stuff. He has opened up a huge new female fan base for the band. That can’t be bad, can it? It is great seeing more girls at our shows. On the flip side of this, Joe is very humble, loyal and a down-to-earth family man.
Guitarist Chris is a perfectionist blessed with an upbeat 'can do' attitude. He is the type of person who never makes mistakes, even at rehearsals because he practices relentlessly. Intelligent and articulate Chris is very calm and level headed. Mr. Coss is a keep fit fanatic and enjoys rock climbing, wind surfing and mountain biking. Chris plays mean lead guitar on occasions, too. Mr. Coss is the cool surfer dude of the band with a strong sense of style and inner calm.
At 18 years of age, drummer Jake is somewhat of a musical prodigy. His incredible techniques were refined by playing in orchestras and jazz bands for 10 years. His love is for hard rock and Jake’s phenomenal double bass drums can be heard to devastating effect on the latest material. His jazz experience helps him pick up on complex time changes instantly and the band benefit enormously from this. Mature beyond his years, Mr. Oseland is totally dedicated to his art and is the quiet member of the group. Jake will undoubtedly become one of the finest rock drummers in the world, I have no doubt about it.
We have a new boy in our ranks, lead guitarist Luke Hatton. Like Chris, Luke was highly recommended to us by Simon Lees (ex-Budgie). Luke is a guitar virtuoso who has built up his relentless skills through years of practice and gigging. In contrast to his intense musical conquests, he’s a very laid back guy who is always up for a good laugh and you’ll never see him without a cup of tea near by. (the guys in Saxon are the same, Biff drinks tea by the bucket load. Did you know he started off as a bass player? He told me that once when we supported them, not a lot of people know that! lol)
THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW, but we’ll stop here for now. I hope you go out and find out about Cloven Hoof in 2014. More of the interview is coming!
Cloven Hoof - Brimstone and Fire (Resist or Serve 2014)
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