Making the Cold Slither XMess Music Video

2026/01/042026/01/04 Doktor Ross SewageLeave a comment

In late November, 2024, Gerardo from Reigning Phoenix Music hit me up and said he wanted me more closely involved in the next Cold Slither music video. They’d gotten the rights to use footage from an episode of the G.I. Joe cartoon, “Cobra Claws are Coming to Town,” and Gus had written and recorded a song to go with it. He wanted me in creatively as a visionary type fella, but probably more as a huge G.I. Joe fan.

We started a group chat with Costin Chioreanu, who’d done awesome animation for the first four Cold Slither videos. I pitched an idea, and that’s when Costin dropped the bomb that he was already over-booked by RPM and wouldn’t have time to start anything except a simple edit maybe half-way through December. That was understandable but sucked for us. A Christmas video needed to come out before Christmas! So, I thought, I can edit an old show; I already do it for the videos we play during the live show. And hey, I could do a whole lot more if I put my mind to it!

I was going to do stop-motion animation and make this an old school holiday special, courtesy of the greatest heavy metal band in the world, Cold Slither. Now, I just needed to figure out how to do stop motion animation! Continue reading “Making the Cold Slither XMess Music Video” →

We’re Cold Slither… and a Fatal Fluffy, too

2025/12/192025/12/19 Doktor Ross SewageLeave a comment

I wanted to make this costume as soon as I heard the Cold Slither song “These Fluffies are Fatal.” Unfortunately for the SDCC crowd, I was already too busy putting together the band’s costumes. I promised the Hasbro crew, however, that if we got to play again, I would definitely trot out this silly character from the G.I. Joe cartoon for the show. And I did.

Fatal Fluffy with Sgt. Slaughter — And I eventually got put in a cobra clutch by Sgt. Slaughter

With no budget to speak of beyond my own wallet, I was limited. But, having been in Ghoul and always working without a budget, I was resourceful! Continue reading “We’re Cold Slither… and a Fatal Fluffy, too” →

We’re Cold Slither part 2

2025/12/162025/12/16 Doktor Ross SewageLeave a comment

In my previous posting, I detailed the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I had to be in the band Cold Slither and become a real-life part of G.I. Joe, my favorite toyline of all time. Well, turns out it was more than a once-in-a-lifetime experience, because we got to take a bite out of the Big Apple last October.

I knew before we played at San Diego Comic Con the previous July that there was a Cold Slither comic coming out in October. New York City Comic Con was in October. If we didn’t fuck up our initial appearance, I figured it was a shoe in that we would play in New York. Well, even before we left the backstage in San Diego, the Hasbro crew were like “so, we heard you’ll be with us in New York.” Can I get a “hell yeah.”

Continue reading “We’re Cold Slither part 2” →

We’re Cold Slither part 1

2025/12/152025/12/15 Doktor Ross SewageLeave a comment

Towards the end of January, 2024, I got a call from Gus Rios of Gruesome and Left to Die. I didn’t answer the phone, however, as I was busy at work. I was like, I’ll call Gus later. It can’t be important, we’re not in a band together, but sometimes we chat about toys. Whatever new G.I. Joe thing is coming out, he can tell me about it later. Then I get text from Matt Harvey who is a bandmate to both me and Gus. Matt’s is insistent that I call Gus back immediately. It’s urgent. So I do… and Gus does want to talk about a new G.I. Joe thing coming out. And the new thing is us. We’re going to be the band from the G.I. Joe cartoon. We’re going to be Cold Slither.

In some backroom deal with Tomax and Xamot, Gerardo at Reigning Phoenix Music had gotten the rights to create Cold Slither in real life and to put out an album. Gerardo, also a toy collector, had called his old friend Gus, knowing that Gus had expressed an interest in doing Cold Slither as a real band. Hell, he and I had talked about it in 2020, but I thought it was more of a lark: a pipe dream. Now Gus, with a little bit of help from Matt, had the deal to write and record an actual album. And we were going to play San Diego Comic-Con. And it was all based around the release of a new toy showcasing the band. And it’s official. We’re toys. Continue reading “We’re Cold Slither part 1” →