Ice-T is cool as fuck, isn’t he? It might seem a redundant statement at this point, but the fact that the LA legend has built careers as a multimillion-selling rap star and an acclaimed TV actor, while also fronting one of the most brutish and unrepentant hardcore metal bands on the planet, is a unique achievement. What a guy. Body Count keep getting heavier and more convincing as the years pass, which is another big achievement in itself, particularly since both Ice-T and stalwart guitarist Ernie C are in their 60s. But as with their last three albums – Manslaughter, Bloodlust and Carnivore – the eighth thunderous missive from the mean streets of California goes off like a bomb.
We may be talking small margins, but Merciless is the heaviest Body Count album yet, with several moments of breathtaking savagery. Purge, which features guest vocals from Cannibal Corpse’s George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher, sounds as punishing as we should expect from a collaboration between such certified badasses. Similarly, Psychopath is Body Count at their most muscular and violent, and a cameo from Fit For An Autopsy’s powerhouse frontman Joe Bad only adds to the sense that carnage is imminent. Most riotous of all, Lying Motherfuka (‘Everythingyou fucking say is bullshit!’) is a punk-as-funk, rap metal callback to the ragged insanity of Body Count’s first album.
