Review by JD on February 27, 2012.

Doom Metal in Canada is a very small scene, but it seems to be growing around the country with its mournful heaviness. Adding their name to the growing heavy ranks of Doom here in the great white north, comes a Toronto based Doom/Stoner act named Keef (part of a pot plant).

Sounding a lot like if they are in the running for Canadian answer to Black Sabbath, Keef is an interesting act indeed. With strong riffs, interesting lyrics and a lead singer that could pass for a very young Ozzy the band seems to be at odds with itself. One side needing to offer up originality and the other wanting to pay honour to their heros that started them on this musical trek. The results ended up being an amazing one.

With mid-tempo Sabbath inspired riff and this remarkable and still uncanny knack to write strong melodies that stick with you long after the album has stopped, Keef comes across as a band on the verge of something pretty good. Disastrously thin production values and sometimes the loss of the vocal track dog the effectiveness of the album, but the majestic heaviness and impressive writing abilities still came through with a vengeance. It is not a perfect album but I found it to be enjoyable.

If Keef can continue to grow and solve the recording glitches they have on their next opus, this band will make a huge mark. This band is a massively heavy band that need to be recorded with all of that pure and massive sound completely intact and unfettered by any restraints. That will be the signal that this band will take over the worlds stage.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship:9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 6
Originality: 9
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Allan on November 27, 2002.

What the world doesn’t needs are more bands that are unique. What the world really need is another band that plays it safe, and traces the footsteps of their forefathers. Raise Hell are one of those bands that the world needs, and their third release “Wicked Is My Game” is just a reintroduction of the past, once again.

I really don’t see how anyone could resist Raise Hell, as seeing how the riffs are just so genuinely generic. Listening to “Wicked Is My Game” just reminds me of a place I’ve been before. In fact, I’ve probably been here one hundred times, but that’s the great thing! Raise Hell has created a masterpiece that holds the true essence of classic thrash metal, only this time it’s got mediocre musicianship to back it up! From the truly haunting album cover to the thought provoking album name, Raise Hell just blows me away!

All right. I’m sure you’re tired of my sarcasm by now. But really, Raise Hell isn’t a band that you should invest your time in, unless you’re a thrash metal fanatic. Even then, they’re only a mediocre act at that. They tend to stick to the general thrash metal staples. One of the other detrimental aspects of Raise Hell is that in their songwriting they tend to play around with two many riffs at times, which results in a cure for insomnia. My last big complaint about Raise Hell is that each individual song doesn’t tend to have a distinct personality and causes them to run together, and usually causes the listener to feel the need to turn off “Wicked Is My Game” after only a few songs.

I guess I should give credit where credit is due. Raise Hell, while being as derivative as a band can be with classic thrash metal, do what they do fairly well. The musicianship may be mediocre, but you can find moments that are pretty catchy, here. That about sums it up…

Bottom Line: If you’re looking for thrash metal head the other way. Raise Hell doesn’t offer anything that you won’t find somewhere else done better.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 3
Musicianship: 5
Atmosphere: 4
Production: 7
Overall: 4

Rating: 4.6 out of 10