Body Count is still working on their new record Merciless, and Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine wants in on it. In an interview with Metal Hammer, Body Count frontman Ice-T said Mustaine hit the band up about writing a song. Though that isn't usually how the Body Count songwriting process works.
"Dave Mustaine has got at us already. He wants to write a song. Dave worked with us on Bloodlust – he did 'Civil War,'" said Ice-T. "But usually what we do with a Body Count album is make it first by ourselves, then call in people."
Ice-T later confirmed that the band is nine songs into the record, and is looking to have a total of 15. Body Count has been working on Merciless for roughly one year now, about which Ice-T said at the time "Only one goal… It's gotta be HARDER than the last [album]." And given Body Count's track record of putting out some real ass beaters, that rule seems to be holding up just fine.
"We're nine songs in, and we're gonna put 15 on the album. It hasn't been the easiest album to record, simply because we're coming off the heels of [2020's] Carnivore. It was a great, award-winning record and we never got to perform it. Playing songs on the road is usually what inspires your next album, so we came into this kinda cold, from a dead space."
In a 2022 interview with Darren Paltrowitz of the Paltrocast, Ice-T explained why it's harder to make records later in your career and why it might be a mistake to try and repeat your past successes. It's really solid advice for all you songwriters and band dudes out there!
"Making albums, it's kind of scary. It's kind of like, how do I explain it… it's like okay, you make an apple pie. Everybody likes the apple pie and it sells a lot. So now you got to make another pie, but it can't be apple. It's got to be just as good as the apple one, so you make a cherry apple. It sells just as good as the apple and everybody loves it. Now you gotta make another one but it can't be apple and it can't be cherry apple, so you make a blueberry apple.
"So now it's like, I'm ran out of flavors. Like, you're scared to make the lime pie so you're like, 'fuck it.' If you do the apple again they say 'oh, you're just [doing the same thing again].' Now you're at a place where… and then also if the last album was a hit, do you want to make another record and it not be a hit? Or do you want to retire like Floyd Mayweather just have a bunch of albums that all hit and tour off of them indefinitely? Like, Kiss doesn't need a new record."
