The Opening Ritual
Encyclopedia
The Opening Ritual is an EP
by the British
heavy metal
band Cloven Hoof
, their debut release. The track in this EP, "The Gates Of Gehenna" was re-recorded by the same band for their self-titled first full-length studio album
. There exists a bootleg split album of this EP and the band's live album
Fighting Back.
tipping the band for the top in his prestigious "Breaking through in '82 feature," and playlist.
Over in America, unbeknownst to the band, John Strednansky was championing the band in his Metal Rendezvous magazine, and college radio stations were airing the EP on their playlists. A worldwide buzz was growing and international stardom seemed a formality. However, bad contract advice and in-fighting put paid to a huge recording deal. The untimely death of David Hemmings, the band's manager, was another terrible blow. An independent label was the only alternative for Cloven Hoof to once again gather momentum.
Undeterred, The Opening Ritual attained airplay on numerous radio stations worldwide, but it was not until Tommy Vance and Geoff Barton played tracks off the EP on radio one in the UK that the Cloven ones' career really began to break into a gallop.
1983 saw Cloven Hoof touring throughout the length and breadth of the United Kingdom
, earning themselves a sizeable underground cult following. In the summer of that year, the band recorded a four-track session for Tommy Vance's Friday Rock Show on Radio One and a similar session for Beacon Radio for DJ Mike Davies.
, unless indicted otherwise.
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Cloven Hoof
Cloven Hoof (band)
Cloven Hoof are a heavy metal band from Wolverhampton that was active from 1979 to 1990, and again from around 2000 onwards. The band were associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, alongside bands such as Iron Maiden and Diamond Head...
, their debut release. The track in this EP, "The Gates Of Gehenna" was re-recorded by the same band for their self-titled first full-length studio album
Cloven Hoof (album)
Cloven Hoof, released in 1984, is the first full-length studio album by the British heavy metal band Cloven Hoof. The track "Gates Of Gehenna" from the band's debut E.P., The Opening Ritual, was re-recorded in this album...
. There exists a bootleg split album of this EP and the band's live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
Fighting Back.
History
The EP stayed in the Sounds and Kerrang heavy metal charts for six weeks, peaking at number 18. Articles in Kerrang and Noise magazines followed, with Geoff BartonGeoff Barton
Geoff Barton is a British journalist who founded Kerrang! heavy metal magazine and was an editor of Sounds music magazine.He joined Sounds at the age of nineteen after completing a journalism course at the London College of Printing. He specialised in covering rock music and helped popularise the...
tipping the band for the top in his prestigious "Breaking through in '82 feature," and playlist.
Over in America, unbeknownst to the band, John Strednansky was championing the band in his Metal Rendezvous magazine, and college radio stations were airing the EP on their playlists. A worldwide buzz was growing and international stardom seemed a formality. However, bad contract advice and in-fighting put paid to a huge recording deal. The untimely death of David Hemmings, the band's manager, was another terrible blow. An independent label was the only alternative for Cloven Hoof to once again gather momentum.
Undeterred, The Opening Ritual attained airplay on numerous radio stations worldwide, but it was not until Tommy Vance and Geoff Barton played tracks off the EP on radio one in the UK that the Cloven ones' career really began to break into a gallop.
1983 saw Cloven Hoof touring throughout the length and breadth of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, earning themselves a sizeable underground cult following. In the summer of that year, the band recorded a four-track session for Tommy Vance's Friday Rock Show on Radio One and a similar session for Beacon Radio for DJ Mike Davies.
Track listing
All songs written by Lee PayneLee Payne (bassist)
Lee Payne is the founding bassist and main songwriter of the British heavy metal/power metal band Cloven Hoof. Payne is a self-taught musician and is the only member of Cloven Hoof to feature in every line-up of the band to date.He started playing guitar at age of 17, but eventually switched to bass...
, unless indicted otherwise.
- The Gates of Gehenna - 6:10
- Stormrider - 4:17
- Back in the USA - 4:40
- Starship Sentinel - 6:40
Credits
- David Potter - Vocals
- Steve Rounds - Guitar
- Lee PayneLee Payne (bassist)Lee Payne is the founding bassist and main songwriter of the British heavy metal/power metal band Cloven Hoof. Payne is a self-taught musician and is the only member of Cloven Hoof to feature in every line-up of the band to date.He started playing guitar at age of 17, but eventually switched to bass...
- Bass - Kevin Pountney - Drums