Review by Jophelerx on September 3, 2024.

Following their rough-edged, occult NWOBHM self-titled debut in 1984, Cloven Hoof released a "live" album in 1986 which features few of the hallmarks of a traditional live album; it boasted zero songs from their studio album, a brand new singer and seems to be an album produced in the studio to sound live. Why it wasn't merely produced as a second full-length I'm not sure, but following its lack of success, the band underwent a complete lineup overhaul, with founding member and bassist Lee Payne kicking out everyone else in 1987 and forming what was essentially a totally new band with a new sound, with Tredegar's Russ North at the helm on vocal duties. A very different singer from David Potter's rough and ready attitude or Rob Kendrick's raw exuberance, North went for a cleaner, more refined approach but make no mistake, his pipes and sheer machismo are quite something to behold, merely presented in a more sophisticated, aristocratic sort of filter rather than the axe-wielding grime of someone like Potter. North isn't the only star of the show here, though, as the songwriting has taken quite a turn as well, much more in line with the USPM scene that was in full swing across the pond. I feel like this similarity is more due to the nerdier sci-fi lyrical themes here and the band catering to North's more melodic approach rather than any actual influence from USPM, though, as it's certainly possessive of its own unique blend of elements that still pays homage to the NWOBHM roots of the band's earlier incarnation.

In fact, three of the eight songs here are reworked versions of songs that were written in the band's prior lineup, with "Reach for the Sky" and "Fugitive" being lifted from Fighting Back, and album closer Road of Kings having seen a rough demo version in the David Potter days, as I mentioned in my review of the band's self-titled album. The versions here are all different enough to feel like their own thing, though, and fit in quite well with what is essentially a concept album. The concept should perhaps be in quotes though because while there are generic sci-fi tropes aplenty here, few references are made to anything specific, and "Road of Eagles" in particular sticks out as more medieval fantasy that doesn't fit particularly well with the rest of the loosely-connected futuristic escapades, which is probably why it was tacked onto the end of the album. The music holds up quite well without having to pay particular attention to the lyrical themes, though, and unlike a lot of modern concept albums, there are no spoken word interludes or long instrumental pieces here, just quality metal. In fact, the album is quite brief at almost exactly 40 minutes, never overstaying its welcome despite some more progressive leanings like the brooding intro to "Warrior of the Wasteland" or the structurally complex, Rush-inspired riffing present in "The Invaders."

In fact, Dominator does a great job of combining quite a few styles and managing to be quite a musically sophisticated menagerie while maintaining a catchy, down-to-earth core that creates a much simpler facade at first listen. Certainly the galloping NWOBHM foundation still heard in the riffing on most of the tracks helps with this, but the lead work here has moved on quite a bit from the days of the early 80s, Thin Lizzy-esque dual harmonies, and it certainly sounds like newcomer Andy Wood (no relation to the iconically short-lived Mother Love Bone frontman) was more into the likes of Rush and Queensryche than original guitarist Steve Rounds was. The bass work here can also be pretty independent of the guitars at time, with Payne doing a good job of fitting the different style here and clearly taking some cues from Geddy Lee's ambitious and unique style. Though on tracks like "Fugitive" he goes for a more traditional approach that merely supports the riffs, that's probably due to this being a reworked version of an earlier track, and on most of the new songs you can hear him doing some pretty inventive stuff that adds a nice additional layer to the adventurous space opera atmosphere being concocted here.

It can be hard to hear at times, though, which is my chief complaint with this album - the production. While I've gotten used to the remaster in recent years (which has its own problems that I'll briefly cover in a minute), the original mix is quite muddy, with the rhythm guitar sometimes blending into the lead in the mix and the bass being all but drowned out, with everything kind of feeling like it occupies the same sonic space and making it difficult to appreciate each individual element of the band's sound (aside from the vocals, which are pretty clear). The remaster does improve these problems but occasionally has some annoying hissing and crackling that suggests maybe it wasn't a true remaster but the band merely took an early vinyl pressing and cranked each instrument all the way up on some kind of Pro Tools program. Either way, it is an improvement and I'd recommend over the original, just be wary that it's still far from perfect. Whatever way you listen to this, though, the performances and songwriting here are still bound to shine through and win you over.

The album closes with "Road of Eagles," which despite being the sole holdover from the David Potter days and not fitting in with the album's general theme, might be my favorite track here. The song feels like it was written for North, and immediately is leaps and bounds better than the demo version recorded with Potter - I feel like even if that version had gotten a proper mix and polish, this one would still be far superior, as North's soaring multi-tracked vocals and the more melodic approach of the guitarists fit the songwriting like a glove, sounding like something that could have closed out an early Manowar album rather than the dark, angry rumblings of a "Cloven Hoof" or "Gates of Gehenna." The solo is pure power metal, though, Wood's contribution to the track in its current form, and the spoken word section over atmospheric riffs and militaristic drumming is just a chef's kiss of a delectable experience. This really serves to showcase the strengths of the new band, and while there are no bad songs here, and tracks like "Nova Battlestar" do nearly as good a job at demonstrating that something was right with this version of Cloven Hoof, I can't help feeling that this song does the best job of encapsulating the force of nature on display here.

Overall, Dominator shows an interesting maturation and development past the NWOBHM sound of the early 80s, which by this point many bands that were still around from that era were experimenting with. Iron Maiden was going for a more epic sci-fi approach as well with Dickinson at the helm, Satan had gone full-on thrash with newcomer Michael Jackson, and the remaining holdouts of the original style, like Saxon, were beginning to grow stale for most listeners. Thrash had taken the world by storm, and the simple formula of the NWOBHM had been mostly played out. Bands had to evolve or die, and Cloven Hoof's 1988 studio album was one of the greatest examples of the former, something that's sure to satisfy fans of early progressive metal but with those touches that still remind the listener where the band came from. Dominator is probably the strongest album in Cloven Hoof's catalog to this day, and while all of their 80s output has something to offer, the first of the two Russ North outings has a boldness and a consistency that's more difficult to pull off than meets the eye. This album dominates, plain and simple.

Rating: 8.9 out of 10