The Opening Ritual is an EP by the British heavy metal band Cloven Hoof, and 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.

and Noise magazines followed, with Geoff Barton tipping the band for the top in his prestigious "Breaking through in '82 feature," and playlist.

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.