Former ROADRUNNER A&R Guru Discusses 'XXX: Three Decades Of Roadrunner Records' Box Set (Audio)

October 1, 2013

On September 27, Metal Hammer editor Alexander Milas conducted an interview with former Roadrunner Records A&R chief and current Nuclear Blast Entertainment president Monte Conner for the "Metal Hammer" radio show on TeamRock Radio. You can listen to the chat using the SoundCloud player below.

Roadrunner Records celebrates its three-decades-plus legacy as one of the most highly regarded labels in heavy metal and hard rock history by releasing a four-CD box set covering a broad spectrum of heavy music with tracks from dozens of the world's most legendary artists.

The set, released on October 1, includes 54 tracks spread across four discs, packaged in a deluxe fold-out paneled box, at a retail price of $39.98. Decibel contributor Chris Dick has written the liner notes, which trace Roadrunner's entire history and include quotes from founder Cees Wessels; Monte Conner; and artists such as KING DIAMOND, SEPULTURA/SOULFLY/CAVALERA CONSPIRACY mastermind Max Cavalera, TRIVIUM frontman Matt Heafy, OPETH leader Mikael Åkerfeldt, SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, and more.

"XXX: Three Decades Of Roadrunner Records" delivers a blistering overview of the label's formidable first three decades of existence spread across four carefully assembled CDs. The first disc, "Foundations," highlights the label's early, reputation-building years with ultra-heavy tracks by MERCYFUL FATE, CARNIVORE, DEICIDE, BRUJERIA, SUFFOCATION, BIOHAZARD, TYPE O NEGATIVE and more. The second disc, "Horns Up," sums up Roadrunner's indelible impact on the metal scene of the 1990s with moshpit-detonating anthems from SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, SEPULTURA, COAL CHAMBER, FEAR FACTORY, and many others. The third disc, "And Metal For All," brings the listener into the 2000s and up to the present with the pounding sounds of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, TRIVIUM, DREAM THEATER, OPETH, GOJIRA and more, as well as a track from 2005's "all-star" Roadrunner United album. The final disc, "Rock For The Ages," focuses on Roadrunner's hard rock contingent with tracks from mainstays such as RUSH, NICKELBACK, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, THEORY OF A DEADMAN, AIRBOURNE, BLACK STONE CHERRY, and KORN featuring Skrillex, among others.

A documentation of not just Roadrunner's history but metal itself, this four-disc set is testimony to the fact that as metal and heavy rock have morphed and changed over the years, Roadrunner was always, and continues to be, at the epicenter.

"XXX: Three Decades Of Roadrunner Records" will also be available digitally from all major online retailers.

The full track listing is as follows:

Disc 1 - Foundations:

01. MERCYFUL FATE - "Evil"
02. WHIPLASH - "Power Thrashing Death"
03. KING DIAMOND - "Abigail"
04. CARNIVORE - "Carnivore"
05. OBITUARY - "Slowly We Rot"
06. ANNIHILATOR - "Alison Hell"
07. DEICIDE - "Sacrificial Suicide"
08. SUFFOCATION - "Infecting The Crypts"
09. BIOHAZARD - "Punishment"
10. TYPE O NEGATIVE - "Christian Woman"
11. BRUJERIA - "Matando Güeros"
12. CYNIC - "Veil of Maya"
13. LIFE OF AGONY - "Through and Through"
14. TREPONEM PAL - "Excess and Overdrive"

Disc 2 - Horns Up:

01. NAILBOMB - "Wasting Away"
02. MACHINE HEAD - "Imperium"
03. DOG EAT DOG - "No Fronts (Jam Master Jay's Main Edit)"
04. DEATH - "Crystal Mountain"
05. SEPULTURA - "Roots Bloody Roots"
06. COAL CHAMBER - "Loco"
07. SOULFLY - "Eye For an Eye"
08. FEAR FACTORY - "Shock"
09. SLIPKNOT - "Spit It Out"
10. SPINESHANK - "New Disease"
11. CHIMAIRA - "Pure Hatred"
12. 36 CRAZYFISTS - "Bloodwork"
13. ILL NIÑO - "What Comes Around"

Disc 3 - And Metal For All:

01. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - "My Last Serenade"
02. TRIVIUM - "Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr"
03. DEVILDRIVER - "I Could Care Less"
04. CRADLE OF FILTH - "Nymphetamine Fix"
05. HATEBREED - "Destroy Everything"
06. CAVALERA CONSPIRACY - "Inflikted"
07. ROADRUNNER UNITED - "The Dagger"
08. PORCUPINE TREE - "Fear of a Blank Planet"
09. DREAM THEATER - "On the Backs of Angels"
10. OPETH - "Heir Apparent"
11. MEGADETH - "Head Crusher"
12. DOWN - "Witchtripper"
13. HEAVEN & HELL - "Bible Black"
14. GOJIRA - "L'enfant Sauvage"

Disc 4 - Rock For The Ages:

01. NICKELBACK - "Side of a Bullet"
02. JERRY CANTRELL - "Anger Rising"
03. STONE SOUR - "30/30-150"
04. KARMA TO BURN - "Ma Petite Mort"
05. GLASSJAW - "Pretty Lush"
06. THE DRESDEN DOLLS - "Girl Anachronism"
07. AIRBOURNE - "No One Fits Me (Better Than You)"
08. MURDERDOLLS - "Dead in Hollywood"
09. THEORY OF A DEADMAN - "Bad Girlfriend"
10. BLACK STONE CHERRY - "Lonely Train"
11. KORN feat. Skrillex - "Get Up!"
12. RUSH - "Headlong Flight"
13. LYNYRD SKYNYRD - "Still Unbroken"

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