Cloven Hoof was one of the myriad bands that launched during the NWoBHM alongside Iron Maiden, Saxon, Raven and Satan. They were late to get that crucial debut out during the heady years of 1979-1982, with it not seeing the light of day until 1984, by which time the thrash explosion was well underway. They missed their window, but they didn’t give up the ship, releasing 2 more albums in the 80s before calling it a day. They got the band back together in 2006, and since then they’ve released seven albums of classic 80s metal, the last of which was 2024s Heathen Cross, which featured the immortal Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin of Jag Panzer on vocals. That was a rousing opus with lots working in its favor, and it got me interested enough to do a deeper dive into their catalog. Now we get 10th platter, Never a Prophet in Your Own Land, and Tyrant is once again at the helm of this pirate ship, helping unleash an album’s worth of vintage 80s retro metal. Can a band that’s been running the race so long without much notoriety surprise the masses with a sucker punch to the chin?

The band definitely comes out swinging on opener “Terror from the Skies,” which is more like a classic Jag Panzer tune than what I would normally associate with NWoBHM acts. In fact, it sounds like a lost track from Jag Panzer’s legendary Ample Destruction debut, and that is very much okay by me. Harry sounds larger-than-life as always, using his big baritone wails to shake the rafters as the band supplies classic 80s metal riffs at a tempo that veers close to speed metal. It’s simple, traditional as hell, and tons of fun. “Conquistador” is more in the classic NWoBHM tradition, sounding a lot like a modern-day Saxon number. It has the mid-tempo gallop and an epic vibe as Tyrant regales us with tales of death and glory. The chorus is effectively hooky and very 80s-centric, and it takes me right back to beefbrained teens. A big high point is the title track, which brings in a big Iron Maiden vibe for a rousing, punchy piece of trad-metal. It reminds me a lot of something off A Matter of Life and Death, and it’s very easy to imagine Bruce wailing away here in place of Tyrant. The chorus has been swirling in my head all week, and I have this one on hot repeat. I especially love when Tyrant sings “The power and the glory!”. You know…because of Saxon?

Cloven Hoof keep their approach fluid, moving between NWoBHM and early US power metal idioms, and then on “Gypsy Roller” they go full Deep Purple for a rowdy rocker straight from the 70s, full of classic Hammond organ fills and swirls. It’s a hard-rocking, rough-living kind of song and so retro it hurts, but damn if it isn’t a ton of fun. Another standout is “Iron Mask,” which is just a killer heavy metal song that Tyrant elevates with his over-the-topness. The chorus is as simple as it gets, but it works and sticks like hot tar on shag carpeting (avoid this mistake if you can). Not every track hits with pure heavy metal thunder, though. “The Bigger They Are” is an earnest, blue collar rocker that isn’t bad, but it’s fairly clunky and goofy. Closer “Seven Sacred Wonders” tries to marry 70s epic prog rock with 80s metal, and it works, but it gets messy and chaotic at times along the way. That said, Never a Prophet is 40 minutes of high-quality retro metal in a 48-minute package, and I’ll take that ratio any day.

Cloven Hoof crafted a bunch of good-to-great ideas and some killer songs here, and the guitar work by Chris Coss and Luke Hatton is inspired and blends various 80s styles well. You get the NWoBHM vibe but also get bits and pieces of 80s US metal and even some 70s prog and hard rock. The way the tandem play off one another is impressive, and they bring a lot of skill and melodic sensibility to the material. When you bring in an iconic and infamously large-and-in-charge vocalist like Tyrant, it’s tough to avoid him becoming the big focus of whatever you do because his delivery is so big. However, he manages to mostly avoid trampling on the cool musical ideas and stays in his lane, though he does expand it to a superhighway at times. He’s the same Tyrant as always, but he does show off a few new wrinkles, like his subtle, almost fragile vocals at the start of “Flying Dutchman,” and his restrained rock vocals on “Prodigal Son.” He’s more boon than bane, regardless of his excess and overdrive, and he gives Cloven Hoof a whole new dimension of trveness.

Never a Prophet in Your Own Land is a punchy trad-metal album with some killer moments, an authentic 80s vibe, and an ear for skin-snagging hooks. Cloven Hoof didn’t get the attention they deserved back in the 80s, but they should get it for the material they’ve been releasing of late. Hear this and start working backward through their catalog. Good things await.¹ Hoof it!

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: High Roller
Websites: clovenhoof.net | facebook.com/clovenhoof1979
Releases Worldwide: September 25th, 2026

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