Some 40 years after debuting in a 1985 episode of the ‘G.I Joe: A Real American Hero‘ animated series, fictional metal band Cold Slither are now set to take the stage in real life. The group’s original animated incarnation found the shady mercenary Zartan and his gang of Dreadnoks unite as the metal/hard rock band Cold Slither. Rather than rely on their songcraft and chops, the band set out to brainwash the youth of the United States due to subliminal messaging inserted into their music by Cobra Commander, head of the villainous terrorist organization Cobra.
It was presumed that the original episode drew some inspiration from the controversy that rocked heavy metal world at the time, as the mid-80s found the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and later Judas Priest under fire in court for allegedly including subliminal messages in their songs.
In light of the 40th anniversary mentioned above, Hasbro has been pulling out all the stops, putting together a real-life incarnation of Cold Slither, who will release their self-titled debut album through Reigning Phoenix Music on July 25th.
In addition to the updated take on the group’s eponymous song from the original episode and the all-new “Knock ‘Em Dread“, that 11-track outing will also feature the just debuted “Thunder Machine” — a tribute to the vehicle of the same name driven by fellow Dreadnok Thrasher. The video for that song was helmed by Costin Chioreanu.
As for the band’s live debut, they’ll be hitting the stage at the Brick By Brick in San Diego, CA on July 24th. Gus Ríos (Gruesome, ex-Malevolent Creation), who had a hand in the album mentioned above, will be handling the vocals and bass as Zartan. As for his Dreadnok bandmates, Ross Sewage (Exhumed, Ghoul, etc.) will be handling guitar as Torch, Matt Harvey (Exhumed, Gruesome, etc.) will be on guitar as Ripper, and Andy Selway (KMFDM) will be on drums as Buzzer.
“Cold Slither” track listing:
01 – “Welcome To The Swamp (Intro)”
02 – “Cold Slither”
03 – “Knock ‘Em Dread”
04 – “Thunder Machine”
05 – “Zartan’s Revenge”
06 – “Snakes On The Bayou”
07 – “Torched”
08 – “Under The Dreadnok’s Spell”
09 – “Master Of Disguise”
10 – “The Ballad Of Buzzer”
11 – “These Fluffies Are Fatal”
A G.I. Joe Classified Series action figure set release of the original animated series incarnation of Cold Slither in all their glory will initially be made available exclusively to attendees at this year’s ‘San Diego Comic-Con‘, with limited online availability to follow.
