CLOVEN HOOF · Heathen Cross | PURPLE LP

Transparent purple vinyl in heavy standard cover with insert. Limited to 300 copies.

Background information about 'Heathen Cross'

Heathen Cross is the sound of a band that never needed permission to be loud. Cloven Hoof have been hammering away at the British steel since the early eighties, and here they come again with riffs that land like a swung hammer and choruses built for a thousand raised fists. The production is warm and gritty, the kind that lets the bass breathe and the guitars snarl instead of polishing everything into a shine. You can practically smell the rehearsal room.

What really carries Heathen Cross is the songwriting. Tracks like "Benediction" and "Redeemer" open the record with a sense of ritual and menace, all doom-laden chords and a vocalist who sounds like he has seen a few things he would rather forget. Then "Do What Thou Wilt" and "Last Man Standing" kick the tempo up, trading that brooding weight for pure, unapologetic heavy metal gallop. The second half keeps the blade sharp: "Vendetta" and "Curse Of The Gypsy" bring a swaggering, almost folk-tinged darkness, while "Frost And Fire" and "Sabbat Stones" close things out with a black mass of twin-guitar harmonies and thunderous drums. It is old-school, yes, but it is old-school done with conviction, not nostalgia.

For fans of: Angel Witch, Satan, Diamond Head, Tygers Of Pan Tang

Other Versions

CD · 12,99 € BLACK LP · Sold out BLACK LP · 20,99 € SPLATTER LP · 21,99 € CLEAR TAPE · 6,99 €

Track listing

A1. Benediction
A2. Redeemer
A3. Do What Thou Wilt
A4. Last Man Standing
A5. Darkest Before The Dawn
B1. Vendetta
B2. Curse Of The Gypsy
B3. Frost And Fire
B4. Sabbat Stones
B5. The Summoning

Manufacturer: High Roller Records, Bertolt-Brecht-Str. 1a, 08412 Werdau, Germany, Contact: www.hrrecords.de