Body Count
A lot of people were surprised when Ice-T unveiled this hardcore hand during last summer's popular Lollapalooza tour. A rapper playing heavy metal music? One taste of this fast-and-furious hybrid should convince listeners that Ice-T isn't just dabbling. He really put his soul into this corrosive collection.
Just scan the song titles. Among the least offensive, there's "Bowels of the Devil," "Momma's Gotta Die Tonight" and "Cop Killer." Suddenly we're a long way from Def Leppard. Essentially, Ice-T has kept the outrage of his gangsta-rap and infused it with fuzzy, squalling guitars and thrashing drums. The result is like punk music on steroids.
The musicianship is ragged (Ice-T doesn't sing so much as shout, and Ernie-C's guitar solos are particularly amateurish), and the lyrics are raw (deserving an XXX rating for violence, profanity and sex).
The raunchy Body Count might smack of overkill, but its marketers may have a coup: By reeling in both metal and rap fans, aren't they also cornering the largest slice of the young record-buying public? (Sire)
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