Interview with Body Count; Drummer Ill Will and Guitarist Juan of the Dead Talk New Album, ‘Manslaughter’

Body Count recently released their first album in 8 years; Manslaughter hit the shelves June 10th, on Sumerian Records, to amazing reviews. Ill Will says the band went back to basics when it came down to writing, getting together in a room and recording, “what we came up with was Manslaughter, you know?” Fans, critics, and the band are all stoked on Manslaughter with Juan of the Dead saying, “there’re a lot of strong tracks, I’m really pumped about the album.”

Juan’s excitement about the album is tangible, as he lists his favourite songs (“Back To Rehab,” and “Bitch In The Pit”). “If you really take the time and read the lyrics, I think there’s a lot of good life experience and knowledge that comes from Ice.” It’s clear that Ice-T gets major respect from his bandmates as he gets shout outs from Will and Juan.

When it came to writing songs for the album, members of Body Count came up with instrumental ideas and bounced them back and forth between L.A. and New Jersey before formatting them and giving them to Ice-T “so he could spit overtop of it,” Will explains. Considering Ice-T’s schedule between Law and Order: SVU and working on Manslaughter, three months to bring Manslaughter to completion is incredibly fast. “We gotta give it up to him, man, you know?” says Will of Ice-T’s intense work schedule.

After Murder 4 Hire, the members of Body Count needed a break, after losing three members of the band they needed time to grieve and refocus. Looking back at Murder 4 Hire, Juan says that Ice-T thinks he “kind of phoned that one in,” not giving it his all. Everyone took their time on Manslaughter, Ice-T made sure everything was just right. Will and Juan give major props to producer, Will Putney, for his work on the album, “the producer played a big part on this album, sometimes you gotta take your time and do it right.”

Check out the song “Talk Shit, Get Shot”