A Sultan's Ransom Explained

A Sultan's Ransom
Type:	studio
Artist:	Cloven Hoof
Cover:	ClovenHoof ASultansRansom.png
Released:	1989
Studio:	Mad Hat Studios, Wolverhampton, UK
Genre:	Power Metal, Heavy Metal
Length:	44:08
Label:	FM Revolver
Producer:	Cloven Hoof
Prev Title:	Dominator
Prev Year:	1988
Next Title:	Eye of the Sun
Next Year:	2006

A Sultan's Ransom, released in 1989, is the third full-length studio album by the British heavy metal band Cloven Hoof. It is the last Cloven Hoof album to feature Andy Wood on guitar, due to contractual difficulties that forced the whole band itself to split up from 1990 to 2001. Music videos were made for the songs "Mad, Mad World" and "Highlander" (which are now included on the band's debut DVD release, A Sultan's Ransom – Video Archive, which also contains live footage of the band playing in 1989 at Lichfield Art Centre).

Reception

A Sultan's Ransom was ranked number 442 in Rock Hard magazine's 2005 book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time^[1] and 24th at Metal Hammers 2019 list of the 25 best power metal album of all time.^[2]

Track listing

"Astral Rider" (Lee Payne, Russ North) – 5:15
"Forgotten Heroes" (Payne) – 4:41
"D.V.R." (Payne, Andy Wood) – 2:49
"Jekyll and Hyde" (Wood) – 3:28
"1001 Nights" (Payne, Wood, North, Jon Brown) – 5:28
"Silver Surfer" (Wood) – 3:43
"Notre Dame" (Payne) – 5:45
"Mad, Mad World" (Payne, Wood) – 2:29
"Highlander" (Payne) – 3:40
"Mistress of the Forest" (Payne) – 6:50

Note: The track "D.V.R." is an acronym which stands for "Death Valley Racer".

Personnel

Cloven Hoof

Russ North – vocals
Andy Wood – guitar
Lee Payne – bass
Jon Brown – drums

Additional musicians

Mil Gacic – guitar
Paul Hodson – keyboards

Production

Mark Stuart, Paul Hodson – engineers

Notes and References

Book: Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. 2005. Rock Hard. de. 3-89880-517-4. 32.
Web site: Chantler . Chris . The 25 greatest power metal albums . . . 2 March 2021 . 14 November 2019.