Nowadays they are not nearly as well known as the likes of IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST but there was a time when CLOVEN HOOF were on the very frontline of the NWOBHM. Led by bassist Lee Payne, the band sold out Europe’s biggest clubs in the mid-80s and many a metalhead still counts them among British metal’s most important names. That is probably the main reason behind CLOVEN HOOF’s continued success since the group still releases new albums on a regular basis and managed to keep the fans interested throughout the decades. We spoke to Mr. Payne about his band’s newest effort, titled „Never A Prophet In Your Own Land“.
Hi, Lee, and thank you for taking the time for this interview! Roughly three years have passed since the release of your latest album “Heathen Cross”. What’s been happening for CLOVEN HOOF since?
„Heathen Cross“ was very well received critically speaking, and the fans loved it also. So were very pleased with all aspects of the album. Harry’s amazing vocals played a huge role in the success, and the songs were dark and heavy. In many ways, what you would come to expect of a band with a name called CLOVEN HOOF. The album captures a feeling of brooding menace, much like our debut, and perfectly embodies the group’s satanic aspect. Sabbat stones from the opus is a great stage favourite and works like a charm live. It was written so every track could be performed live faithfully. The band has been busy playing in Europe ever since. However, the current unrest in the gulf has taken its toll and made the costs of flights rocket through the roof. We have shelved our entire scheduled European tour due to budget reasons. So I have been writing a lot of new songs for future releases until the situation resolves itself.
Your new album “Never A Prophet In Your Own Land is about to be released. How would you describe the record?
“Never A Prophet In Your Own Land” continues where „A Sultan’s Ransom“ left off in many ways. I say this because the songs are very eclectic and show off our entire bandwidth. The tracks are wide-ranging and self-contained, with their own unique identities. There are fast songs, epic songs, immediate tracks, and some are fantastical while others have more urban settings. It is a tour de force, with the added element of keyboard layering to give atmosphere and grandioseness.
Where do you see the biggest differences between your upcoming album and its predecessor?
„Heathen Cross“ is more demonic and straight ahead, whilst “Never A Prophet In Your Own Land” is epic and diverse. The new album combines old school with power metal and blends the styles seamlessly. There is even an homage to DEEP PURPLE in there that I want to dedicate to Ritchie Blackmore, my all-time idol. It all started when the keyboard player Chris Dando started playing in rehearsal with a perfect Jon Lord sound on his keyboard. I said, “I have a number lying about that I wrote back in the late 1970s, that would suit that sound to a tee.“ Everyone wanted to hear it, so I played a few bars and the band loved it. The band then decided to put it on the next album. It happens like that messing about in rehearsals, something magical pops up out of the blue and you go with it.
The songs on “Never A Prophet In Your Own Land” offer a nice mix of straight rocking riffs and more epic moments. How do you manage to balance these to characteristics of your sound?
I love albums with variety. I don’t want to hear an album with 20 versions of the same song. A lot of famous bands put out stock formula albums these days. In my opinion a great album has to have depth and convey different moods. I love variety and dramatic tempo changes. For all the darkness, there is also plenty of light and shade. The soft passages make the heavy passages sound more powerful and dynamic. Most of our songs are stories like mini movies, and we set the narrative to music. It is not about stringing a lot of meaningless riffs together and calling it a song. Too many bands do just that, and even the singers just sing the riffs. I always work off melody lines and fit music to accentuate the meaning of the lyrics. We think about the subject and try to give it a meaningful soundtrack. Reminiscent of classical composers who paint a sonic soundscape. We just do it in a true heavy metal style.
“Never A Prophet In Your Own Land” is your second album featuring Harry Conklin on vocals. What’s working with a singer who is also involved in at least one more very busy band?
Harry is really one of the best vocalists in metal, full stop. We are very lucky to have him in the band. He is a team player 100% and he has no ego or arrogance. It is such a pleasure to tour with him; the tyrant has a great sense of humour and is fun to be around. We allowed 10 days for vocals, and he completed them all in three days! How professional is that? He smashed it out of the ball park. Harry has the aggression, emotion, and range to make any song sound great in fact. I am now very used to his style, and I wrote the album to accentuate the dynamics in his voice. I think he excels tremendously singing in CLOVEN HOOF and he has raised the bar to greater heights for the next album. We just make sure his calender is free before we agree to certain shows so there is never any clash with his workload. The band is flexible and will always work around stuff to accommodate availability. It is worth it because we all love each other’s company so much, like true metal brothers. You can hear that in the way we play on the album; the grooves crackle with power and passion and reveal a band at the top of their game.
In addition, Harry lives in the US and CLOVEN HOOF are based in England. How do you work over this distance?
We use the internet a lot to keep in touch; that’s one of the pluses of modern technology. Harry is actually based in Greece, so the flights are not too bad in duration and are reasonably cheap. Sending songs to each other is easy these days, so we can work internationally without any problem at all.
How does the songwriting process in CLOVEN HOOF work? Did you change anything from the songwriting sessions for “Heathen Cross”?
The songwriting process remains the same as it ever did. You just get visited by the songs subconsciously and you merely record the ideas down by whatever means are available at the time. I usually sing the initial melody lines into a mobile phone, and then write the music to fit later on in my home studio. The inspiration for the track „Flying Dutchman“ for example came from being on vacation last year in a coastal village called Watchit in Somerset, England. I was sitting on a bench in the harbour and I suddenly noticed a statue of the ancient mariner. Evidently Samuel Coleridge had written his epic poem there, so it inspired me to write also. At school we had studied his work, and I had always thought how much Coleridge’s epic poem had drawn great inspiration from the Flying Dutchman legend. It set off my imagination, and as I was looking out into the sea mist, I had the following notion: “What if the rigging of a ghost ship was suddenly visible coming out of the fog?” It would be an awesome sight on a moonlit night, and what if someone rowed a boat out to investigate the craft? Bingo! I suddenly had a storyline for a song. So I found a quiet spot on the harbour wall and as usual started singing ideas into my mobile phone. After my vacation, I listened back to all the ideas and found out that the complete song was all there. Words, music and all. All you need as a musician is the initial inspiration. The rest is all pure magic!
Could you explain the title “Never A Prophet In Your Own Land” to us?
The title track works on many levels. On the face of it, lyrically and musically, the song is about Jesus and his persecution. Not being fully accepted for his teachings, no matter how wise or good, by the people in his own country. Despite his passion and purity, his own disciples betrayed him, and he ultimately died in the most excruciating way for his unflinching beliefs. The cover depicts Christ as a wraith-like phantom figure still walking the earth, not holy or divine as the Son of God. But as a skeletal outcast, shunned and wretched mortal man, paying the price for his beliefs. I think Dimitar Nikolov depicted this concept in spades. He did an amazing job. There is also an underlying message, being a metaphor for not getting one’s just rewards in life. Many of us can relate to this idea. In the struggle for acceptance, we are often denied the success we believe we deserve. And some are even unjustly ridiculed for our efforts. On a personal level I used the phrase once to our sadly departed singer Russ North, who was angered and bitter towards the British metal press. They supported any band as long as it wasn’t British. He said the papers had initially become successful supporting the British New Wave of heavy metal bands; now they have become a trendy fashion magazine promoting anything but true metal. The so-called writers were mostly ex-student punk rockers or grunge bandwagon hoppers instead of dedicated metal fans. He had a point, but I told him to ignore them and just stick to our guns and play for the real, true metal fans. They are all that matter, not stupid press hype and false metal. “Sometimes you are never a prophet in your own land.” But unfortunately, manic depression got to him in the end, and the British press’s bias towards trendy bands led towards his sad demise. There was nothing anyone could do about it I’m afraid; he couldn’t let it go. So, in his honour, I decided to work on the title. I know he would have liked the sentiment, and he would have loved the tracks. God bless Russ; he is a sad loss to music and I will miss him always.
CLOVEN HOOF were part of the very first wave of heavy metal bands. Ever since, the scene has changed quite a bit. Would you say theses changes were for the better or do you miss the old days?
In life and music, I feel you must always look ever forward. Every album is a challenge, and you have to keep raising your standards and keep digging deep to improve and create better songs. Music can change organically, and you can keep the essence of your sound, just don’t sell out and disappoint your hardcore fan base. I am aware of what our parameters are and what boundaries not to step beyond. Otherwise, it would not sound like CLOVEN HOOF anymore, so I try to write as a fan of the band. On purpose, I don’t listen to other groups; living in a bubble almost. That way my writing doesn’t become contaminated by current fashion trends. I keep it true and write from the imagination and the heart. I wish I had appreciated the old days of NWOBHM more. You think those days will last forever and the music press would support homegrown talent; they were magical days when denim and leather kids really ruled the streets. And they would travel everywhere and anywhere to watch new young metal bands. It was like a religion. Sadly, that is not the case these days for new metal bands starting out. I do miss the old days with all my heart; so many great memories and happy times. But I think the current band and the music we put out currently is the best in the band’s history. Maybe the best is still yet to come?
There should be a live album featuring CLOVEN HOOF’s current line-up! Is that a possibility?
It would be fantastic! We really punch our weight live, and the songs are so lived-in and tight. There is a fantastic set we filmed at Bang Your Head festival in Germany some years back. We are hopeful that we will release it soon because it sounds incredible, and we filmed it on multiple HD cameras. But a set featuring Harry on vocals will blow anyone away! He really is an awesome showman and owns the stage. We will make it a top priority when we tour all over Europe in 2028.
What about your touring schedule? Will there be a chance to see CLOVEN HOOF in Germany soon?
In the light of the current gulf crisis, driving prices up and disabling world markets. We have decided to suspend touring until 2028. I have lost count of all the gigs we have had to cancel due to budgets being affected and work permit trouble caused by Brexit. It is not fair to the fans to tell them we will appear only for unforeseen incidents to pull the rug from underneath us. So we will work on recording albums in the meantime and blitz throughout the world in 2028.
Would you like to add anything?
I would just like to thank all the loyal fans in Germany and throughout the world who have stayed with us for over 40 years. Their loyalty is inspirational, and we send them our very best wishes. Hope you like the new album, it is definitely one of our best ever… long live metal 1 info!
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23. September 2026 Thomas Meyns
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