BODY COUNT

INSATIABLE HUNGER CREATIVE

INTERVIEW WITH BASSIST VINCENT PRICEBY JOHN SILVA O n the cover of Body There are dead bodies in the streets. violence, racism, and inequality Count’s seventh studio Cars wrecked. Chaos consumes an can take over a city, eating up album, Carnivore (out apocalyptic depiction of Los Angeles. everything in their path. Price March 6, 2020 via Century explains that the album cover is Media Records), is a flesh-eating “The word ‘carnivore,’ it can be [ininspired by a song on the record monster staring at you like he’s ready terpreted] a lot of different ways,” called “Colors - 2020.” to devour you raw. With a pistol in says bassist Vincent Price. “It can be one hand and brass knuckles in the [eating] meat. Or, it can be, you’re “If you look at that [artwork] and you other, the image of the creature is the king of your own domain, so to listen to the song ‘Colors,’ that’s it jolting. And yet, as abrasive as the speak. You take over whatever you right there. In the song, it’s about album cover is, something far more put your hands on.” gang violence and taking over sinister lurks beneath the surface. things. And, if you look at that art When zooming in on the illustration, a The image of the monster on the work, you see that’s exactly what closer look reveals that the monster is album cover is sprawling, as if it’s doing. It’s taking over everything. made up of many tiny images—and it he’s taking over whatever he It’s taking over the city; it’s taking isn’t a pretty picture. A city is on fire. wants to consume. The same way over people. It’s very strong.”

The artwork is a great analogy for the album as a whole. The surface-level image is aggressive, but the images viewers see when they zoom in are much darker. In the same way, on first listen, Carnivore sounds like a lot of other hardcore records. It’s aggressive, angry, and carries the same macho, tough-guy attitude that is often associated with the genre. But, a closer look at the lyrics reveals a deeper ugliness, one that is infecting the entire country right now, as it has been for centuries. From the aforementioned song “Colors - 2020,” which ad

dresses gang violence, to “Point the “If you go to the old Ice-T catalog, he’s music, some of the songs on CarFinger,” a song about police shootbeen telling people about this stuff nivore refer to close-knit commuings of unarmed black boys and since day one,” Price says. “I don’t nities. But this is more than just anyoung men, to “The Hate Is Real,” think anybody is really doing anyother hardcore clique or straight which addresses racism, xenophothing to change it. I think everybody edge crew; this is about people bia, and the normalization of hate, is just taking it and accepting it. And coming together to finally do the theme is prevalent throughout. basically, Body Count is just there to something about the social injusremind them of what’s going on.” tice that devours our world like a Price notes that it’s not the first flesh-eating beast. time the band has directed their In a sense, Body Count view themartistic attention towards these selves as messengers broadcasting “We all pretty much traveled in themes. In fact, even pre-dating the ugliest parts of their city and packs; we never really traveled sinBody Count’s work, front-man country loud enough that people gle,” Price says. “And yeah, that’s Ice-T was addressing these subhave to listen and pay attention. basically what it’s all about, just jects in the early days of his rap everybody coming together and career. True to the culture of hardcore doing something about it, finally.

We’re hoping that one of these days, everybody’s gonna come together and do something about it.”

Perhaps the socio-political messages throughout Carnivore will inspire people to organize for change. At the very least, Body Count’s work is important because it uses art to make listeners more aware of the injustices we often choose to ignore. Perhaps Carnivore is a good representation of what the world looks like right now. Aggressive on the surface, ugly underneath. Like a monster. �� �� ��