Body Count have been more transparent than most in the build-up to their eighth album. The rap metal iconoclasts first announced in June 2021 that writing on Merciless was already underway. Then they confirmed in February 2022 that they had entered the studio. Now, frontman Ice-T tells Hammer that the band are “about halfway through” recording their new music with longtime producer Will Putney, and hope to have it out by the summer.