Cult of the Cobra were a hardcore punk band formed in 2008, fronted by vocalist Kim Gruschow. The five-piece lineup was rounded out with Steph Stutely on bass, Sarsha Fierce and Sammy Sting on guitars, with Alex on drums. Steph and Kim had a history together, having previously played in Punchbowl, a lineage Cult of the Cobra carried forward, pairing hardcore metal riffs with sassy, ferocious lyrics that took a sharp, humorous side-eye at the world around them.

Cult of the Cobra played one of their earliest shows at Sharkfest 2008, Newtown’s two-day mid-year counterpart to Punkfest. Around this time, guitarist Sarsha Fierce was also playing in Wellington d-beat outfit Rogernomix, and the two bands frequently shared bills across New Zealand.

In April 2009, the band recorded a self-titled, 10-track CD at Smoko Studios with engineer Vanya Vitali, released on May 1 of that year. Drummer Alex departed at the end of May 2009 after a final show at Lorne Street; Dorian Denny stepped in, and the band was back playing live by September, appearing at Punkfest ’09 the following month.

Cult of the Cobra played their final show on February 6, 2010, at Lorne Street alongside Crawler, Neon Bastard, and Psychic Jams. Following Sammy Sting’s departure, the remaining members – Kim, Sarsha, Steph, and Denny – regrouped under a new name, Natural Glow.

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Origin	Wellington
Genre	punk, hardcore
Years Active	2008 – 2010
Associated Acts	Punchbowl, Natural Glow Fantails, Deb 5000 Rogernomix
Past Members	Kimi Gruschow (vocals) Steph Stutely (bass) Sarsha Fierce (guitar) Sammy Sting (guitar) Alex (drums 2008-May, 2009) Dorian Denny (June, 2009 – 2010)