Body Count – Bloodlust

Since 1990, Ice- T has vehemently made a stand against authority with his band Body Count. Inspired by Black Sabbath, Suicidal Tendencies and Slayer, his lyrics deliver a much more powerful message than the watered down commercial rap that the radio force feeds us. The subject matter of his lyrics are not for the faint hearted but are written from the heart, point proven by album opener ‘Civil War’.

Featuring Dave Mustaine (one of three special guests on the album), his call to arms spoken word intro warns about the pitfalls of the Trump presidency. The crashing rhythms are the perfect foil for Ice’s opening rant highlighted by “Our leaders are evil, lie after lie. The public is armed, ready to die”. The speedy midsection features raging lead guitar work from Dave. Other highlights are the foot to the floor speed follower ‘The Ski Mask Way’ that portrays class divide with the poor robbing the wealth flaunted by the rich. ‘This Is Why We Ride’ is a contender for the most powerful song here as Ice- T spits out “I made it out the hood, I got a great life but the bullets fly every motherfucking night”. A huge chorus is peppered with police siren and gunshot samples.

Max Cavalera provides backing vocals in ‘All Love Is Lost’ that has an almost industrial like swagger. He adds venom to the already vitriolic lead vocals. A spoken word intro by Ice- T explaining the reasons why Body Count formed precede a very convincing cover of ‘Raining Blood/Post Mortem’ by Slayer. A rare slowing of pace sees the reflective lyrics of  ‘God, Please Believe Me’ pour out lines like “I’m paranoid, it ain’t easy when your lifestyle was grimy and greasy. I’m trying to make peace with the karma and the drama”.  The doom soundscapes of ‘Here I Go Again’ provide backing for the most disturbing lyrics here that tell the story of a serial killer who eventually takes his own life.

The title track is a crunching chugger that bursts into life with a full on midsection as shivering lyrics including ” I’m the human species, the most violent on Earth. I killed my own planet, I’m so sick it hurts” highlight the ignorance of the human race. Closing track ‘Black Hoodie’ ends the album on a high with an intense spoken word intro explaining about the Black Lives Matter movement is not new, as police brutality has existed for many years. The song tells the story of an old friend who was shot just because of the way he was dressed, with the chorus containing “Got on a black hoodie, its worn over my head. I didn’t have a gun so why am I dead?”. Bloodlust is available now, released via Century Media Records.

Bloodlust album track listing :-

Civil War (featuring Dave Mustaine).

The Ski Mask Way.

This Is Why We Ride.

All Love Is Lost (featuring Max Cavalera).

Raining Blood/Post Mortem (Slayer cover).

God, Please Believe Me.

Walk With Me (featuring Randy Blythe).

Here I Go Again.

No Lives Matter.

Bloodlust.

Black Hoodie.

Body Count band line up : –

Ice- T – Lead vocals.

Ernie C -Lead guitar/backing vocals.

Juan Of The Dead – Rhythm guitar/backing vocals.

Vincent Price – Bass guitar/backing vocals/lead vocals on ‘Post Mortem’.

Ill Will – Drums.

Sean E Sean – Sampler/backing vocals.

Little Ice – Backing vocals.