Hard to believe, but it’s been a whole damn 40 years since villainous cartoon band Cold Slither rocked the hell out of their self-titled anthem on an episode of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Seems only fitting then that the heavy-metal mercenaries have re-recorded the song as part of a nostalgic promo campaign, which will culminate in a forthcoming debut album.
The revamped rock tune arrives via a cross-promotion between toymakers Hasbro and Reigning Phoenix Music, with a nefarious plot to put more Cold Slither music out into the world set to be unveiled this summer at the San Diego Comic Con.
Backing up a bit: The fictional group originally appeared in the “Cold Slither” episode of G.I. Joe back in 1985, where chrome-plated terrorist leader Cobra Commander played Svengali by assembling a metal band to brainwash Eighties youth into their cause, Pied Piper-style.
Cold Slither has cloaked baddie Zartan on vocals, while the rest of the group comprised Dreadnoks Torch, Ripper and Buzzer, who put down their usual chainsaws and flamethrowers in favor of musical instruments.
The updated version of “the anthem that shook the world” revisits the high-flying hooks of the original, with Zartan describing Cold Slither as a “heavy-metal machine” set to rule the world with “an iron fist and a reptile hiss.” The Cobra indoctrination anthem has got some shredding guitar solos in there, too.
You can see a new, clearly Cobra-funded animated music video up above.
“It is a dream come true to be able to work on this amazing collaboration with my favorite, and one that happens to be one of the most iconic brands in the world: G.I. JOE,” Reigning Phoenix Music general manager and co-founder Gerardo Martinez said in a statement.
He adds: “It is also a pleasure to work on this amazing project alongside some of my friends from Hasbro and be able to bring Cold Slither into reality in the most Heavy Metal way! Many of us have waited 40 years for this to happen but the wait is finally over. And a special thanks to Michael Charles Hill for writing the original ‘Cold Slither’ episode back in 1985.”
“We’re extremely excited for everyone to rock out to this single and we plan to reveal even more as we move closer to San Diego Comic Con,” Hasbro VP of Global Franchise Strategy & Management for Action Brands added. “So, as the single echoes, we hope… ‘you’ll be joining us soon!’”
The full details have yet to arrive behind Cold Slither’s forthcoming, 10-song self-titled debut album, but those will be shed during San Diego Comic Con, which runs July 24th-27th.