After a couple of relatively mediocre albums "Manslaughter (2014)" was a nice comeback for Body Count and it signaled a slight change towards a more metal oriented sound. That´s nothing against what the listener is treated to on "Bloodlust" though, as this is easily the band´s most hard edged metal oriented release up until now. Razor sharp riffs, pounding heavy beats, and an Ice-T in top vocal form. He has never sounded this aggressive and raw before, and it suits him well. Lyrically we´re as always treated to subjects like corrupt politicians, social issues (especially the US black/white issues), bad cops, and ghetto and gang violence. As such nothing unusual for Body Count, but Ice-T as usual has a lot to say about those subjects. Agree with him or not, he successfully adresses the issues in a direct and outspoken manner. There´s no smooth politician talk here, just an angry man talking about the despair and corruption of the world, as seen by him.
The material on the 11 track, 41:00 minutes long album are generally well written and quite catchy. Highlights include "Civil War", "This is Why We Ride", and "Black Hoodie" but there is not a single sub par track featured on the album. Body Count even deliver a decent cover of "Raining In Blood / Postmortem 2017" by Slayer. "Bloodlust" features a powerful, raw, and detailed sound production, which further enhances the feeling that "Bloodlust" is the heaviest Body Count album to date. Upon conclusion "Bloodlust" shows a positive development of sound, although at least one naughty/humourous track could have been nice, but it´s obvious that Body Count have aimed for a more serious and aggressive sound on "Bloodlust", and they succeed well with that mission.
