The last decade of Body Counts already storied career has seen the band release a string of albums that is heavier and more extreme than the one prior to it. The music career of Ice-T either solo or with Body Count has always been reflective of the world around us. It speaks volumes then to the state of the world that not only do the themes and messages never change, but that Body Count have just dropped their most extreme album to date.
With a title like Merciless, a degree of savagery is all but guaranteed and fortunately this album more than lives up to its moniker. Whether it’s the punishing title track, the blood splattered imagery of Purge featuring Corpsegrinder from Cannibal Corpse or the brutality laden beatdown of Psychopath with Joe Bad from Fit For An Autopsy, Merciless lays out it’s gnarly stall early and never lets up.
Even amongst all of the Horrorcore lyricism and razor sharp riffs there are still a few curveballs to be found. Live Forever features a hook so powerful from Howard Jones that it would make Candyman proud. The decision to reinterpret Comfortably Numb with new lyrics and a a different perspective proves to have been a very good one and shows a more introspective side not often found in Body Counts work
Fuck What You Heard & World War take aim at the state of the worlds politics, with the former being a scathing takedown of the two party system in the U.S. Drug Lords enlists Max Cavalera for a bug eyed and ferocious jam that sees him channel his very own Nailbomb in one the albums more explosive moments.
It sounds redundant at this point to talk about how great Body Count is as a band, but the run they have been on recently is nothing short of legendary. A band that always has its finger on the pulse and its ear to the ground ensuring that not only is everything they put out relevant to the times, but it will remain forever timeless. Merciless is another gem in an already stellar back catalogue.
Merciless is out on November 22nd via Century Media. More information & album preorders can be found here
