remembering Znöwhite, part 2

by MMB

Znöwhite were a U.S. thrash band that began in the early 80s in Chicago, U.S. and amongst their recordings there is an EP in 1984, another EP in 1985 and the final full-length album called Act of God from 1988.

If you missed part 1 on the 1984 EP All Hail to Thee, here is the link:

www.metalbulletin.blogspot.com/2016/10/remembering-znowhite-part-1.html

Things must have been going well for the band after the first EP called All Hail to Thee in 1984 because in 1985 they had another EP called Kick'em When They’re Down. To my ears, the 1985 recording sounds better and stronger in terms of recording quality. The 1984 EP showed the band’s fast side pretty well. The 1985 EP starts with two blazing speed metal songs that sound nothing short of fantastic for those wanting to wreck their necks on speed metal. Then, “Run Like the Wind” follows and for the first time we hear the band showing great pacing in this uptempo song that compared to the first two sounds a bit slow, but it’s definitely not a slow song. The traditional heavy metal side of the band has come out a bit more on that song, which is then followed by “Too Late,” another speed fest, after which the band lets the cat out the bag: the last song “Turn up the Pain” is a midtempo track for most of the time, and the pace picks up a bit towards the end. However, the other side of the band is abundantly clear; they have become a lot a better at managing the slower tempos. The song may be a bit of a shocker at first, but it’s really not a slow song, like some people have said, it’s a midtempo/uptempo track. At any rate, overall, this second EP is just as much fun as the first EP, with better production and a bit more experience in terms of songwriting. The drumming sounds great, the guitars sound blazing and the vocals are definitely stronger.

In 1986 there was a live EP called Live Suicide, but it wasn’t until 1988 that the band had its full-length album ready for the world: Act of God.

I will give my two cents on the album sometime soon. In the meantime, look into the 1985 EP.

Kick 'em When They're Down

1.Live for the Weekend 01:26

2.All Hail to Thee 03:12

3.Run Like the Wind 04:23

4.Too Late 02:13

5.Turn Up the Pain 05:25

total time 16:39

Znöwhite - Live for the Weekend (1985)