Photo Credit: Marv Watson

Body Count’s forthcoming album, Bloodlust, will feature well-known musicians such as Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, Soulfy’s Max Cavalera and Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe.

In January, after Mustaine’s song had been recorded, he Tweeted: “The song is badass… by far my fave guest appearance.”

Body Count front man Ice-T revealed that the feature of well-known metal musicians was actually something that had been brought up previously, and that it was a long time coming.

“When we get ready to make these albums, everyone we’ve met in metal… or all these different people that we’ve become friends with say, ‘Hey, if you’re going in the studio, call us. Let us know,” he told Consequence of Sound. “So, this year I said, ‘Fuck it. Call the motherfuckers!”

He explained that everyone they reached out to stood by their previous word and was readily available to add their own unique styles onto different tracks for the album from the different cities they reside in.

“Fortunately, nowadays, you don’t have to be in the same place. You send they track, and they lay the track,” Ice-T said.

Body Count is the heavy metal project of Ice-T, which debuted with one track on Ice-T’s gangsta rap album, OG Original Gangster in 1991. Featured artists Mustaine, Cavalera and Blythe are all well-known heavy metal musicians whose bands originated in the ‘90s and are still active.

Ice-T’s gangsta rap career had always been marked by its hard style, and the transition to incorporating Body Count fit well into his history as an artist. The new album Bloodlust, produced by Will Putney, will debut March 31. The single “No Lives Matter” was released February 17 as a relevant, political song surrounding police brutality and calling out the “All Lives Matter” movement.

Recently, Body Count released a new music video for “The Ski Mask Way,” a single from the new album. Dave Mustaine has also recently confirmed a 2017 tour for his band Megadeth, which will feature Body Count as a supporting act.