ALBUM REVIEW: Carnivore – Body Count

Let’s make no bones about it – at the age of 60, Ice T is still one of the coolest blokes to exist today. As if his hip-hop and television careers weren’t impressive enough, when he brought back his metal outfit, BODY COUNT, for their first studio album in eight years in 2014, he reminded everyone of his immense versatility and his passion for all things heavy. That album, Manslaughter, was followed up by 2017’s thunderous Bloodlust and, with the past four years of a Trump administration to endure, BODY COUNT have come back again with Carnivore, released on Friday via Century Media Records and their seventh effort overall.

There’s one big thing you need to know about Carnivore and it’s as follows: this album does not fuck about. At a smidge under 36 minutes it is completely trimmed of the fat that other bands seem incapable of shedding and thus presents ten streamlined punches of crossover metal that will leave you with birds circling your head a la Wile E. Coyote after another failed attempt to catch the Roadrunner.

The title track, released as the single, is still as foreboding, but placing it at the beginning of the record is a smart move because it builds anticipation for the rest of the release. The reworking of Ice‘s 1988 song Colors hits the spot as well, especially as the lyrics are just as potent 32 years later. Continuing the dedication to the bands that influenced them – marked last time out with their homage to SLAYER by covering Raining Blood and Postmortem – this time around its MOTÖRHEAD in the spotlight and a solid rendition of Ace of Spades; it doesn’t deter too far from the norm and Ice is no Lemmy, but it’s not a trainwreck by any standards.

A smattering of guest spots also helps fill the album, with mixed to positive results. Of the three, the weakest is probably When I’m Gone featuring Amy Lee of EVANESCENCE fame, but this is more because it’s an odd pairing more than anything else; the song, written in tribute to the late rapper Nipsey Hussle, has a more sombre than savage vibe and is a nice deviation from the norm. Jamey Jasta of HATEBREED was always going to work well in this setting and so it proves; Another Level is given extra firepower with his recognisable pipes in the arena-sized chorus, the track a big middle finger out there to e,veryone who has given the band grief over the years. Topping the lot, though, is Point the Finger; with a cameo from POWER TRIP frontman Riley Gale, it absolutely rips and the added thrash tones from Ernie C‘s guitar work make it a big highlight. The finale is The Hate is Real, which is another call out against the rise in racism. What makes this different from the like of, say, PROPHETS OF RAGE is that there is serious venom in the delivery: Ice hasn’t lost his desire to speak out against injustice and is doing so with the same snarl he’s known for.

Whilst most musicians are considering winding their careers down and spending more time in the garden with the grandchildren by their seventh decade on the planet, Ice T sounds like he’s only just getting started. The current state of the world means he will likely keep BODY COUNT going for as long as he and Ernie C feel capable, and if they’re going to be releasing material like Carnivore, then very few will complain.

Rating: 8/10

Carnivore is set for release on March 6th via Century Media Records.

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