Cloven Hoof burst onto the NWOBHM scene with quite some flair, featuring outlandish stage costumes (heavy Kiss- style makeup, futuristic-looking clothing), and bearing the stage names of Air (Lee Payne), Water (David Potter), Fire (Steve Rounds), and Earth (Kevin Poutney). The music (on their debut EP) was well received, bearing a heavy, dark NWOBHM sound with a slightly spacey feel to it. Despite the initial good press and music, the buzz surrounding the band faded relatively quickly