Snakes N' Barrels at the height of their popularity.
"Snakes n' Barrels" is the eighth episode of Metalocalypse. It aired on September 24, 2006 on Adult Swim.
Synopsis[]
Pickles reunites with his old band for one concert but the Tribunal tries to sabotage it to hurt Dethklok. Their attempt to use an experimental drug affects all the members of Snakes n' Barrels except Pickles.
Plot[]
Old friends, old band[]
Snakes N' Barrels (the band Pickles' was in before Dethklok) is presented in a TV documentary. The show explains that the band members rampant drug use negatively impacted them. This, combined with wanting to play heavier music, made Pickles ultimately quit. The members of Dethklok watch the documentary until Pickles interrupts by turning off the TV. Skwisgaar, Nathan, and Murderface make fun of Pickles' old glam rock look, while Toki says that Snakes N' Barrels isn't brutal enough for him. Pickles responds that the past doesn't matter, since he is now in Dethklok. But, Charles tells Pickles that since the documentary began airing, people began buying Snakes N' Barrels records en masse, prompting Pickles to temporarily leave Dethklok and do a reunion tour with his old bandmates.
Meanwhile, the Tribunal go over the history of the other band members: former alcoholic Antonio "Tony" DiMarco Thunderbottom on bass guitar, former crack cocaine fiend Sammy "Candynose" Twinskins on drums, and former hallucinogen and heroine user Snizzy "Snazz" Bullets on rhythm guitar. The Tribunal plots to use their sober states as an advantage against Dethklok. They decide to use a military made drug called Totally Awesome Sweet Alabama Liquid Snake to erase Pickles' mind and make him a blank slate that they can control.
Pickles meets back up with Tony, Snazz, and Candynose. He acknowledges that they are living sober lives and will try to respect that by drinking and doing drugs in a different room. They start rehearsing, but everyone but Pickles sounds horrible. Pickles says that Snakes N' Barrels needs to get back in shape and rock harder than ever, otherwise their fans will be disappointed. In between rehearsing and working out, Pickles indulges in drugs and alcohol, not bothering to leave the room.
While that is going on, the remaining members of Dethklok talk about Pickles and reunion tours. Nathan wants to have one for Dethklok, but Skwisgaar points out that the band needs to break up to have a reunion tour. Murderface declares he misses Pickles, and the rest of Dethklok decide to see the Snakes N' Barrels show.
Totally Awesome Sweet Alabama Liquid Snake[]
On the evening of the first concert, Dethklok makes their way backstage, all visibly drunk. They flipflop between wishing Pickles good luck with the show, asking him to not forget about them, and insulting him. Pickles gets annoyed, reassuring them that he isn't quitting Dethklok permanently. But, he realizes that the other Snakes N' Barrels Members are gone.
Tony, Snazz, and Candynose are all behind the venue, talking to a disguised Tribunal drug specialist, Amonolith Chesterfield. He offers them 4 vials of Totally Awesome Sweet Alabama Liquid Snake, saying they will "blow chunks to the Milky Way." The band accepts the vials, and meet back up with Pickles, giving him the 4th vial. Pickles briefly questions the band relapsing into drug use, but decides to drink his vial with the rest of them. The concert begins. But, halfway through the first song, the effects of the drug kick in. Tony, Snazz, and Candynose all begin hallucinating that terrifying creatures like demonic babies and giant snakes are attacking them.
After the show, a news program details the chaos, explaining that Tony, Snazz, and Candynose experienced horrible hallucinations and were rendered insane. However, because Pickles has spent a lifetime using drugs and alcohol and has never once been sober, he was not affected by the drug at all. A recording of their live concert is released on album and is dubbed the most brutal album of all time. The rest of Dethklok change their minds about the band saying it is awesome, and they ask Pickles to play the album again. He does, but there is no music, and no singing... only Snakes N' Barrels screaming and gibbering nonsense.
Songs featured in this episode[]
Water Horsey Blues
Guest Voices[]
Michael Amott of Arch Enemy, Steve Smyth and Warrel Dane of Nevermore.
Trivia[]
- This episode reveals Pickles' backstory as a former member of a successful and well-known band before joining Dethklok. It also gives further insight into his substance abuse problem, which is picked up later in the plot of Rehabklok.
- The map in the opening montage shows Pickles boarding a bus from Green Bay, Wisconsin; the closest city with commercial bus service to Pickles' hometown of Tomahawk, Wisconsin.
- The band name Snakes N' Barrels could be a parody of the band Guns N' Roses, and Pickles' appearance as the frontman resembles Axl Rose.
- Except for Toki, it is confirmed everyone else in the band has been in prior bands. In Toki's case, Dethklok is his first band.
Gallery[]
