Law & Order: SVU star Ice-T has joined iconic heavy metal band Megadeth on their new song, Night Stalkers. The track is the latest single off of Megadeth’s upcoming sixteenth full-length studio album: The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! Fans can check it out below. Notably, the song is part two of a narrative trilogy that will be featured on the new album, coming out Sept. 2nd.
Most Law & Order: SVU fans know that series star Ice-T started out as a rapper before becoming an actor, but many may not be aware that he also fronts a Grammy-winning metal band. For more than three decades, Ice T has been the vocalist for Body Count, a hardcore metal band hailing from Los Angeles. In 2021, Body Count took home the Best Metal Performance award at the Grammys, for the song “Bum-Rush,” which was the second single from their most recent album, 2020’s Carnivore.
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In a post-win tweet, Ice-T gave “a very special shout out to all the BC Fans Worldwide. For over 30yrs you’ve stayed loyal. Celebrate with us Tonight! Thanks for the love and continued support. ‘Keep It Hardcore’ 4Life.” Most of the rapper and actor’s fans may not even realize that Body Count has been around for 30 years, but they have an extensive catalog of brutal hardcore-influenced metal songs to prove their legacy.
Mustaine previously spoke with Guitar.com about the new Megadeth album, and revealed the origin of his collaboration with Ice-T. “There’s a song called ‘Night Stalker.’ I can’t remember if that was the fastest one or not, but ‘Night Stalker’ is about the 160th Battalion with the U.S. Army, and it’s all the black-ops helicopters that go in at night, nobody knows they’re there, they’re in, they’re out.” He added, “I had my buddy Ice T join me on a part in the middle of it, because Ice was a Ranger in the army, and he did two tours over in Afghanistan…I think that was back in ’91, when I first met him. I know he was a Ranger.”
Notably, this is not even the first time that Ice-T and Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine (lead guitar, vocals). Back in 2017, Body Count released their sixth studio album, Bloodlust, which, featured Mustaine on the first track, “Civil War.” Additional guests included Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe and former Sepulture frontman Max Cavalera. That album also earned the band their first Best Metal Performance Grammy nomination, for the song “Black Hoodie.”
In addition to Ice-T, Megadeth will also have a feature from legendary rocker — and former Van Halen singer — Sammy Hagar. The band recorded a cover of Hagar’s “This Planet’s on Fire (Burn in Hell),” from Hagar’s 1979 solo album, Street Machine. That track will be included as part of the album’s digital release only, along with a cover of the Dead Kennedys track “Police Truck.”
