Just before the release of their fifth album, Manslaughter, we had a chance to catch up with Body Count frontman and actor/rapper Ice-T. While he told us a lot about the album, the  band and the backlash the band’s gotten over the years, we also had the opportunity to catch up with Body Count’s bassist, Vincent Price, before they played a blistering set at the GWAR-B-Q. Among the topics we touched on was the band’s last album before Manslaughter, 2006’s Murder for Hire, touring, and his familiarity with GWAR.

Talk to me about the new record. Why were there eight years between albums?

We did have the Murder for Hire record, and D Roc passed during it. That’s a really funny record, because it’s not a real recording. When me and D Roc were writing it, we had this machine and we were doing mixes on it. So we were doing mixes on it, and we had a CD. We couldn’t take the individual tracks, so it was a CD and Ice sang over it and Ernie C played guitar over it. It wasn’t a 24 track album, it was basically a four track album. We still wanted to put it out, because that was the last thing D Roc did. We didn’t want to re-record it, we just put it out the way it was. Also, we had to find the right lineup to make this a solid band. Now we’ve got the current lineup, and the band is great, and the album is great.

You recently wrapped up the Mayhem Fest. How was that for you?

It was great, just like this is going to be great.
 
 

This is probably the most concentrated touring you’ve done in a while, right?

No, because on Murder for Hire, we did a whole month in Europe, before D Roc passed we did a whole tour. This is the most time we’ve toured in a long time.
 
 
How familiar are you with GWAR?

I know GWAR from when they first came out. My roommate and I used to got o a lot of shows living in L.A. I remember one night there was GWAR, White Zombie, Haunted Garage and Tool on the same bill. I kicked myself in the ass for not going to that show, because we used to go to shows together all the time. I think i hd tr rehearsal, and he came back and was like “you have to see all those bands when tehy come back.” That was all at the Whiskey [a Go Go]. I remember seeing GWAR at the Palladium and White Zombie was out there in the crowd passing out their CD’s, even though they were signed. They were still out there promoting themselves.