Show N Tell is a heavy metal band from the USA formed in 2019 by guitarist/singer Dave Rodriguez, releasing the band’s debut album ‘The Ritual Has Begun’ in 2024.
And if by “ritual” the band means blistering heavy metal – then yes, the ritual has definitely begun! The band’s debut album is forty-two fast-paced and highly head bang-able minutes of foot-to-the-floor metal – placing the Arizona four-piece on the same playing field as bands such as Enforcer, Merciless Law, and Skull Fist. ‘The Ritual Has Begun’ opens with the barnstorming ‘Rip N Tear’, literally ripping and tearing a savage path through the airways…
…Show N Tell in the ferocious mood right from the off! The pace is phenomenal, the band at full throttle to deliver a devastating slice of highly head bang-able heavy metal – every metalhead around the world sitting up to take notice of a new band hellbent on delivering speed of light metal! Or faster than the speed of light – for ‘Run To The Light’ is incredibly fast, the heads of metalheads rocking back and forth at such an extremely high rate of knots that necks are liable to snap! The ferocity shown by the band is normally reserved for thrash metal bands, Show N Tell is a fearsome four-piece that ignores genre limitations to create a boundary-breaking barrage of jaw dropping heavy metal! At least for the (album) first two songs anyway – but I reckon ‘The Ritual Has Begun’ is gonna remain in top gear for the duration! And bringing the classic sound of old school heavy metal to the fore, ‘Night Stalker’ is a feisty “foot on the monitor” romp very much in the vein of legendary bands Saxon and Raven. What an opening threesome from the American outfit!
And there are still two more threesomes to go – the title song ‘The Ritual Has Begun’ setting a blistering pace, Show N Tell remaining steadfast, right in the heart of the heavy metal genre – the level of headbang ability just getting higher and higher! The band are rampant, destroying everything and everyone standing in their way to leave only desolation behind – no one stands a chance against Show N Tell‘s immense ferocity! Ferocity which is far from over, ‘Heavy Metal’ pounding the ground hard with formidable force, the band crafting a new anthem for the world metal population to worship! And worship you all will, for the chant style call to arms chorus is gonna be sung, screamed and shouted by every single metalhead everywhere. I’m already singing along – it’s just so damn infectious! As is every other song heard so far, the unrelenting roller coaster of heavy metal known as Show N Tell‘s debut album storming on with ‘I’m Alive’, the pace and power remaining sky high! And with a chorus break that melds together the likes of Rock Goddess, Girlschool and Lita Ford, ‘I’m Alive’ is old school to the bone! Which is fucking great for me! And surely it’s gotta be great for you too!
With no let up in regards to levels of intensity and head bang ability, Show N Tell power on with the heavy-hitting ‘All Alone Tonight’ oozing the iconic sound of the legendary NWOBHM evolution! The band may be from America displaying touches of the muscular nature of American heavy metal, but sewn into the heart of every song on offer is a strong British influence – an influence that’s simply undeniable! And keeping the hammer down, ‘Tortured By Reality’ roars down the freeway with its pedal firmly pressed to the metal, the band not slowing down for anyone or anything! So if you don’t wanna be flattened by a heavy metal hurricane I suggest you run for cover right now! I’m not gonna – because there’s still one more song to come, Show N Tell bringing their debut album to a close with the longest song on offer! Clocking in at over six and a half minutes in length, ‘The Second Death’ echoes the epic, longer songs that heavy metal icons Iron Maiden have finished most of their albums with. And in the same vein as the metal legends too, Show N Tell offer atmosphere, majesty and elegance in abundance – ‘The Second Death’ rounding off ‘The Ritual Has Begun’ (the album) in fantastic style.
Overall, a full-throttle assault of fast-paced heavy metal with immense intensity and an incredible head-bang ability.
TRACKLIST
Rip N Tear
Run To The Light
Night Stalker
The Ritual Has Begun
Heavy Metal
I’m Alive
All Alone Tonight
Tortured By Reality
The Second Death
Show N Tell: Facebook
Release Year: 2024
Label: No Remorse Records
Category: Album
Country: USA
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
