Album & Interview

Body Count: Relentless and merciless

Crossover legends: Body Count around Ice-T (2nd from right) and Ernie C (in red) inspire with their new album "Merciless".

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Century Media Records, Alessandro Solca)

Body Count have been leading the way in crossover metal for almost 35 years. With their new album "Merciless", they not only want to confirm a Grammy win, but also create a reflection of contemporary America. Guitarist and band co-founder Ernie C explains in the "Krone" talk why the band is so long-lived, why it's always good to be the opening act for Body Count and how they were able to penetrate the holy grail of Pink Floyd.

Most readers will probably know Ice-T from the New York offshoot of "Law & Order", where he has been investigating for almost 25 years and has the rare advantage of a permanent job in the acting profession. However, the now 66-year-old has been raging for much longer as the frontman of the crossover band Body Count. With political and socially critical lyrics, a mixture of thrash and groove metal elements with the spirit of hip-hop and an attitude of not giving a shit in the best sense of punk, the band has been going through all the highs and lows for 34 years. Merciless", the band's eighth studio album, is being released these days. It is the fourth in the "second era" of Body Count, which began brilliantly in 2014 with the comeback album "Manslaughter" after a break of several years and helped the band reach new heights.

Three important pillars of success
These flights of fancy are based on three pillars. Firstly: the band writes really good songs. Even though the early 90s shaped the style of Body Count, after several line-up changes the members have become so well-rehearsed that they sound like a compact unit and also have a nonchalant looseness about them. Secondly, the political situation in the USA is so muddled that Ice-T's direct and rarely ambiguous lyrics are more effective than in years of social peace. Accordingly, brand new songs such as "Do Or Die", "Drug Lords" and "World War" fit perfectly into the shattered zeitgeist. Thirdly, because the musical world is also moving in circles, they are riding the perfect wave of nostalgia. Harsh, aggressive crossover sounds are back in vogue and are inspiring a new generation of fans.

"Merciless" has to compete with an absolute smash hit. The fact that its predecessor "Carnivore" was released just one week before the first major coronavirus lockdown in 2020 may have hurt the band's live business, but not the album's popularity. The combo even bagged a Grammy for "Best Metal Performance" for the song "Bum Rush" in 2021. 31 proud years after the band was founded. Such a late career boost is extremely rare, but proves the unbroken freshness with which Body Count still go about their work. Producer Will Putney played a big part in this, as Body Count guitarist Ernie C emphasized in the "Krone" interview. "Success came with him, it's as simple as that. But the chemistry is also right now. This is Body Count's seventh line-up at the moment, but he's also been the most stable since the very first one. And you know - our first and now most recent albums are the best and most successful."

Prog metal sensation
"Merciless" not only impresses with its powerful sound and direct lyrics, but also with energetic guests. The guest vocalists include Cannibal Corpse roarer George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher and Sepultura legend Max Cavalera. The album's biggest sensation, however, is undoubtedly the "metallized" version of the Pink Floyd classic "Comfortably Numb", for which they surprisingly got what countless other bands failed to do for years - the rights to perform it. This is a very strong sign of the respect Body Count are now accorded, even though they sound far too hard by mainstream standards. But directness and uncompromisingness are unbroken strengths that other acts fail to achieve because they often don't have the courage to express their thoughts clearly.

The story surrounding the scandalous song "Cop Killer", released in 1991, has long since been told in all its details, but the new single "Psychopath" has also caused a stir in various circles. Completely incomprehensible to Ernie C. "I don't understand this cancel culture at all. 'Cop Killer' was an important song and was completely misunderstood, but well, the topic is over. Now something similar is happening with 'Psychopath'. Do people really think that in real life we walk around like psychopaths and kill people? It's a tribute to our love of horror movies. I didn't grow up with Disney as a teenager, I grew up with horror. The first time I saw 'The Exorcist', I couldn't sleep for nights on end. Nevertheless, I didn't become a psychopath. Producer Rick Rubin said it right: if everyone likes what you're doing, then you're probably not doing something quite right."

The same goal in mind
After a career in the music business spanning almost four decades, they have long since stopped letting this throw them off their stride and are instead enjoying the fact that they seem to have reached the pinnacle of their existence. "We also like to surround ourselves with young and hungry people who push us as a team," says Ernie C, "and we're also good friends. Ice-T and I have been best buddies for almost 50 years, so any potential sources of danger have long since been dealt with. We are different, of course, but we have the same goals in mind and never really argue." A career like this also brings back memories. Body Count used to choose their support bands themselves. Rage Against The Machine and Stone Temple Pilots used to open their concerts. "Then they all became more famous and richer than us," laughs the guitarist, "just play in front of Body Count and you end up in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. That was a common joke with us."

Of course, the Los Angeles collective is also more than satisfied with its own career, especially as it continues to bear fruit and develop positively. They have not had to change their principles or their musical recipes. Perseverance and honesty towards yourself and your art sometimes pay off. "I used to drink far too much, but I've been sober for 14 years," says the Jimi Hendrix fan, giving deeper insights into his inner life, "I perceive and play music very differently than I used to. I also realized that talent alone is useless if you don't use it and constantly work for it." The Rolling Stones have been demonstrating for years what infinity can look like in live rock'n'roll. And with Body Count? "This band knows no end. Shoot us, we'll keep playing. When you think we're dead, that's when we really wake up. Body Count are relentless and merciless."