Lee Payne, bassist for UK-based metal legends CLOVEN HOOF has issued the following update regarding their upcoming album:

“The Definitive Part One is Cloven Hoof striped to the bone playing live in the studio with minimum overdubs. We made a conscious effort to try to capture the live energy that the band have on stage. Because nothing was laboured over, the CD sounds fresh and dynamic. Because the band will be playing all over the world from June 2008 onwards, a best of album seems the perfect way to introduce new fans to the hoof back catalogue. All the stage favourites are here and the fans helped choose the tracks on a web site pole 6 months ago.

The last studio album Eye Of The Sun was perfect in the sense that the band played everything to click tracks and beat detectors to give that surgical tightness. For the first time Cloven hoof had slick production, but it can loose raw energy that say 'The Opening Ritual' had. Nu metal producers like eliminating feel in order to quantise everything to get that machine like punch. Producers today believe metal is all about riff’s being cut up and stacked by computers and drum machine, this makes it easy to sound heavy. But in truth that approach sounds over processed and spiritless. “The Definitive Part One” is pure HOOF, without drum machines or studio trickery, but the production is clear and captures an actual band performance raw and real. In fact only the vocals and lead solo’s were over dubbed.

Paul O’Neil produced “The Definitive Part One”, and Jon Astley who has worked with LED ZEPPELIN, THE WHO, JUDAS PRIEST, ERIC CLAPTON, THE ROLLING STONES mastered it. We feel that he has at last captured the true Cloven Hoof sound for the first time."

The Definitive Part One available exclusively via the band's website. . May 1st is the worldwide release date via Universal.