Body Count is the metal outfit led by Ice-T, who married his love of heavy metal with his burgeoning rap career. Debuting at Lollapalooza 1991, Body Count would go on to stir up all kinds of mayhem, from their controversial single “Cop Killer” to their self-described “grindhouse” brand of music, including the title track to 2020’s Carnivore and “No Lives Matter” from 2017’s Bloodlust. Among their biggest influences is the mighty Slayer, and the thrash giant’s DNA is tightly wound through “Psychopath,” Body Count’s latest offering and first taste of their upcoming record Merciless.
Just as Body Count is a metal band first, this song is metal at its core, though the intro and interludes have a certain bounce to them that would keep any pit on their toes. The verses are breakneck thrash, perfect for whipping things into a frenzy before Fit for an Autopsy vocalist Joe Bad comes in and gives us the closest thing to rapping onhis verse, even shouting out both Body Count and his own band in the process.
Body Count has always been in your face, but since their signing with Sumerian and later Century Media Records, they’ve only gotten stronger, even netting a Grammy win for “Bum-Rush” in 2021. The forthcoming Merciless has no release date as of this posting, but if “Psychopath” is any indicator, the disc will be one to look out for.
