CD REVIEW: BODY COUNT – Bloodlust

Label: Century Media Records

Release Date: March 31, 2017

Rating: 8.5/10

Reviewed by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur

Body Count are at it again – blending the powerful rap of Ice-T with the heavy metal prowess of his band of brothers led by guitarist Ernie C.  From the first song to the last we get strength, power, and attitude.  Opening track “Civil War” starts off with a warning… maybe of what may come in the future or simply what is coming at you for the next 41 minutes.  Special guest Dave Mustaine lends his voice (and some lead guitar) to declare we are under Declaration of Martial Law before Ice takes us to the next level with his rap regarding his views on the current status of the country.  “The Ski Mask Way” opens with a cool thrash intro that soon morphs into the familiar sound of Body Count.  The lyrics are common to a lot of T’s rap and rock through his career, attesting not only to his views, but what he sees as still relevant, wrong or right.  “All Love Is Lost” is a chugging rocker that leans heavier into the thrash style than most of the music on the disc, but doesn’t lose its rock and rap sensibilities.  Max Cavalera joins the fray and helps Ice with the vocals.  “God Please Believe Me” is a beautiful guitar piece that swirls with bass and drums in the background allowing Ice to throw one of his diatribes over top the musical landscape.  “Here I Go Again” is another chugging rocker that leans way back into some of Ice-T’s influences with a song that has a heavy Black Sabbath sound woven through it.  The guitars perfectly portray the emotion of the lyrics and are a great counterpart to the vocals.  While less thrashy, this song is as intense as any other on the disc.  Disc closer “Black Hoodie” visits the other side of the ideology behind one of the bands earlier songs “Cop Killer”.  Don’t dismiss the song as just another band or performer tossing commentary on the status of police brutality, the song is solid musically and is a cool landscape for the powerful lyrics.

“This Is Why We Ride” takes a killer guitar riff and wraps it around some heavy handed bottom end from Vincent Price’s bass and Ill Will’s drums.  The vocals and lyrics deliver a story too often told and even more often untold.  The song strikes a nerve when you hear the various sounds of street violence and the corresponding police response.  Ice opens this track with an explanation of how and why he deviated from the rap genre.  Once he lays the groundwork, we are thrust into one of the more famous thrash songs of all time – a killer cover of Slayer’s “Raining Blood”.  The guitars from Ernie C combined with the skin bashing from Ill Will set the pace for the track.  The breakdowns and bridges are familiar and benefit from the bands cohesive playing.  Ice nails the vocals that until now have been etched into memory by Tom Araya.  Check out a lead vocal from bassist Price on “Postmortem” to close out the track.  “Walk With Me” takes a slight left turn from most of the tracks on this collection when Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe kicks the verses open, allowing Ice-T to pour his vocals over the bridges and choruses.  The power of this song ebbs and flows between the verse and chorus, but the guitar work at the bridge takes things up a notch, especially when Blythe lays a growl or two in the mix.  “No Lives Matter” starts off with a minor introduction from Ice that explains his take on the phenomena behind the Black Lives Matter movement.  The lyrics are thought provoking and definitely portray the mindset of some factions of the masses.  The real champion on this song is a killer rock track that would make almost as powerful an instrumental.  As is Body Count’s way, they have intertwined a few newscasts into the song to drive a point home.  Title track “Bloodlust” is a heavier track that ties together a lot of the different sounds on the disc, with thrash and chugging riffs played together by Juan of the Dead and Ernie C, with thunderous drums and thumping bass lines from the rhythm section.

Tracklisting: Civil War – The Ski Mask Way – This Is Why We Ride – All Love Is Lost – Raining Blood – God Please Believe Me – Walk With Me – Here I Go Again – No Lives Matter – Bloodlust – Black Hoodie

Band: Ice-T (vocals) – Ernie C (lead guitar, backing vocals) – Juan of the Dead (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) – Vincent Price (bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Postmortem”) – Ill Will (drums) – Sean E Sean (sampler, backing vocals) – Little Ice (backing vocals)

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BLOODLUST – ITUNES

Category: CD Reviews