Review Summary: Top-heavy, but a faint reminder of what Cloven Hoof have been capable of in the past.
Despite having had a reputable stint in the 80s for being one of the more adventurous underground metal acts in the 80s, Cloven Hoof never really garnered the attention they deserved. Albums such as the 1984 self-titled debut and
A Sultan's Ransom demonstrated a thirst for versatility and epic, atmospheric soundscapes, and perhaps it's because of the band's collective forward-thinking attitude that cost them a chance to go big with their peers. This doesn't really seem to matter three decades down the line. The band have since reformed and made a collection of consistent albeit not particularly groundbreaking releases in the modern age, the latest being this year's
Who Mourns for the Mourning Star?. Unfortunately for any of the band's long-time fans, much of Cloven Hoof's line-up features fresh(er) blood. However, in no way does this mean that
Who mourns... has lost any of the band's initial integrity, rather the sound feels more polished and clearer to a potentially bigger audience.
From the get-go, Cloven Hoof sound collectively like a revitalized group, completely confident in their instrumental performance and simply enjoying what they do. This sense, unfortunately, is reflected in the album's first three songs rather than the rest of the album. "Star Rider", in spite of its obvious modernized songwriting approach, is an excellent display of the band's aggressive albeit powerful musicianship, and vocalist Lee Payne oozes youthful exuberance with a versatile and passionate delivery. What's more, the guy brings so much character to the sound. It would be hard to imagine "Star Rider" as powerful as it is without him. Putting this aside, the instrumentation is just as confident in its delivery. The guitar work in particular displays a certain level of atmosphere which engulfs its listener the more they hear it. Indeed, it's hard not to get swept away by those beautiful solos towards the end of the song. Not all songs are as full throttle. "Song of Orpheus" and the title track feature a gargantuan amount of melody in their wake, although the former utilizes this aspect in a more refined way than the latter. Whilst the title track does its job at maintaining this consistent songwriting approach, "Song of Orpheus" is performed with particular attention on progressing a particular sound. And of course, no-one can deny the much-needed presence of Lee Payne as he, once again, proves why his vocal simply matter.
It's all excellent stuff for the first three tracks, but then the album suddenly seems to hit a slump in creativity. It's not a big slump-in fact, it's not much of a slump at all, if you're only interested in hearing a modernized update of Cloven Hoof's past material. Yet for those who seek to get something more out of repeated listens, the overbearing sense of a performance which reeks of stagnation seems to float all too often. This, as with most modern albums from metal bands who sound as if they're better suited to their respective 80s heyday, is certainly
flaw in the process. As said before, it's not particularly bad, just frustrating. Frustrating, because both "Morning Star" and closer "Bannockburn" herald a return to the more epic, progressive soundscape Cloven Hoof were known for in their first decade of existence, and the fact that they're scattered amidst filler material such as "Neon Angels" simply derail attention from an otherwise consistent performance. Indeed, "Neon Angels" is simply forgettable because it tries too hard in maintaining relevance with the current wake of NWOBHM-related revival material. Another example, "Go Tell the Spartans" falls flat because of the same flaw, but is twice as long when it wasn't needed on the album in the first place.
Despite the album's top-heavy state,
Who Mourns... is still perhaps the best album Cloven Hoof could have produced in a modern age which constantly seeks to impress and improve. If every song on the album was as exhilirating and confident as those first three, this could have been-nay,
would have been-something truly special.
