The rise of NWOBHM caused a response in the USA: thousands of new bands began to play and create a scene, sometimes sharing space with Glam Metal acts. Those bands had influences of acts as JOURNEY, REO SPEEDWAGON, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, KANSAS, RIOT, AEROSMITH, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, KISS and others, because it was in the collective taste of musical taste of the musicians, and soon came the works of MOTÖRHEAD, AC/DC and JUDAS PRIEST to finally ignite the flames of what is called as US Metal. Bands as RUTHLESS, OMEN, VICIOUS RUMORS, RACER X, LIZZY BORDEN, BITCH, STEELER, ARMORED SAINT, MALICE, TYRANT, WARLORD, METAL CHURCH and others of those days shared such common bowl of influences (of course, each one of them playing things as each band wanted to do), and from the city of Phoenix, Arizona (a true Metal city, full of great Metal names) comes SHOW N TELL, a Heavy Meta quartet with its first album, “The Ritual Has Begun”.

The band chose to work with Joe Asselin (producer, recordings), Jeffrey Fred Jr. Robens (mixing) and Bart Gabriel (mastering), with all the efforts trying to bring back the old sonorities from the 80s. It’s heavy and organic, but it seems to be a process guided by ‘we-want-to-sound-as-in-the-80s’, what compromised things. It’s good and heavy, but it could be better defined. Organic doesn’t mean to not define things. And the artwork of Luca “Zeero” Zironi is on a 80s trend, but is very good. The quartet focuses its efforts on what is called by many as ‘true Heavy Metal’ (how many times I saw such things on mags and zines on the 80s, and today, sounds truly ridiculous), what is reality is the embryonic form of US Heavy Metal of the first half of the 80s, plenty of Hard Rock and Glam Metal traces. Of course it’s weighty and full of energy, but the melodic hooks and a certain dose of accessibility (as heard on “Heavy Metal”) is an inheritance of such genres. What matters of in the end is if the band’s work is good or not, right? It’s truly good, but they need to sharp things a bit more to make their efforts worthy of their own musical potential.

For the fans of US Metal, songs as “Rip N Tear” (fine guitar riffs and arrangements with good melodies, but’s a pity that the sound quality can’t boost such features to their best), “Run to the Light” (a very weighty moment, full of energy, but again: the sonority isn’t what the song needs to reach its higher peak), “Night Stalker” (excellent slow parts influenced by early Hard Rock acts of USA and German Metal, with good vocals using lower tunes), “Heavy Metal” (a song filled with accessible influences and charming melodies, but it’s a pity that the tunes of bass guitar aren’t as good as they could be), “I’m Alive” (here the band presents a heavier moment, but still with accessible melodies), and “Tortured By Reality” will be a really good surprise. But for a band with such potential, this sonority puts all their efforts down.

“The Ritual Has Begun” shows a promising work, but SHOW N TELL should think of having the hands of Joel Grind, Olof Wikstrand, Sacha Laskow or any other producer that can take their potential out without tearing apart their Old School Metal appeal.