20 Years On: Roadrunner United – The All-Star Sessions Revisited

In October 2005, Roadrunner Records – a powerhouse label in heavy music – marked its 25th anniversary by unleashing a truly unprecedented compilation album. Titled Roadrunner United: The All-Star Sessions, this project corralled dozens of artists from across the label’s roster into one monumental collaborative album of brand-new songs.

Now, twenty years later, we look back at how and why this audacious album was created, the key figures and musicians involved, its reception among fans and critics, and the lasting legacy of a project that united metal’s brightest stars under one banner.

It’s a story of creative camaraderie and cross-pollination that celebrated Roadrunner’s legacy while strengthening its community of artists and fans.


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Background: Genesis Of A Metal Milestone

Roadrunner Records’ Origins And Anniversary Ambitions

Roadrunner Records was founded in the Netherlands in 1980 by Cees Wessels and rose to prominence by the 1990s as a premier heavy metal label, signing bands like King Diamond, Sepultura and Slipknot. As the label’s 25th anniversary approached in 2005, Wessels wanted a celebration that went beyond a typical greatest-hits box set.

Monte Conner, then Senior VP of A&R, recalled that Wessels “wanted to do something big”. Initially, Roadrunner UK manager Mark Palmer suggested a single all-star track featuring notable Roadrunner musicians. Conner loved the idea but pushed it further: “Why don’t we make it a full-blown album?” The concept was to create an album of entirely new songs written and performed by an all-star lineup of Roadrunner artists past and present.

The idea, partly inspired by Dave Grohl’s Probot project, was swiftly green-lit. It would not only celebrate the label’s rich history but also showcase the breadth of its talent in one record. As Conner later noted, it became “a confirmation of the place the label had carved out for itself at the centre of metal culture.”

Assembling The “Team Captains”

To execute the project, Conner appointed four “team captains” – prominent Roadrunner musicians – each tasked with writing and producing several tracks while recruiting fellow artists. The four chosen were:

  • Joey Jordison (Slipknot, Murderdolls)

  • Robb Flynn (Machine Head)

  • Dino Cazares (Fear Factory)

  • Matt Heafy (Trivium, aged just 19 at the time)

Killswitch Engage’s Adam Dutkiewicz was initially invited but withdrew due to commitments, opening the door for Heafy. The captains spanned generations, balancing veteran heavyweights with a rising star.

Coordinating The All-Star Sessions

Roadrunner United became a huge logistical challenge. A wish-list of 50–60 artists was compiled, and Lora Richardson was brought in to coordinate schedules, studios and communications. Recording took place in early-to-mid 2005 across Los Angeles, Des Moines, Oakland and Orlando, with the 18 tracks written and recorded in just a few months.

Producers Colin Richardson and Andy Sneap mixed the final album, and Conner oversaw as executive producer. Even the project’s logo; borrowing motifs from football clubs, reinforced the idea of a “dream team” of metal.

Despite the $300,000-350,000 budget and huge logistics, enthusiasm from the artists carried the project. Jordison, for instance, threw himself into writing and even tracked multiple instruments, saying it was “the perfect project” for him. Heafy composed songs on tour, while Flynn contributed riffs he had set aside for Machine Head. By summer 2005, The All-Star Sessions was ready for release.

The All-Star Lineup: Key Artists And Contributors

The album featured 57 artists from 45 bands, from 1980s veterans to 2000s newcomers. Each captain curated their own “supergroups.”

Highlights included:

  • Joey Jordison – Proved his multi-instrumental ability, from death metal assaults to glam-rock grooves.

  • Robb Flynn – Delivered “The Dagger,” powered by Killswitch Engage’s Howard Jones, which became a fan-favourite thrash anthem.

  • Dino Cazares – Wrote “The End,” which nearly didn’t make the cut until Matt Heafy’s vocals elevated it.

  • Matt Heafy – Shocked critics with his range, penning tracks for King Diamond (“In the Fire”), Dani Filth, and Michale Graves.

Guest stars included:

  • King Diamond (Mercyful Fate)

  • Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly)

  • Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour)

  • Howard Jones and Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage)

  • Peter Steele (Type O Negative)

Instrumental heroes like Steve Di Giorgio (Death), James Murphy (Obituary), Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) and Jeff Waters (Annihilator) also contributed.

The result was a stylistic blend; thrash, black metal, goth, industrial , yet cohesive. As Stylus Magazine noted, it “could have been a mess, but the results are mostly strong, and it’s a treat to hear different styles come together”.

Release And Reception In 2005

Roadrunner United: The All-Star Sessions was released on 11 October 2005.

  • Charted No. 77 on the Billboard 200

  • Reached No. 45 on the UK Albums Chart

  • Entered the Top 50 in Australia

Critics praised the execution. Stylus Magazine awarded a B+, calling it “perhaps the ultimate label compilation” with performances “fierce, sometimes more so than on the players’ own albums”.

Fans embraced the novelty of “dream line-ups” such as Glen Benton of Deicide with Joey Jordison on drums. Online forums buzzed with excitement, and magazines like Kerrang! and Metal Hammer applauded the audacity.

Howard Jones later reflected that bringing the album to life in a one-off New York concert was “a real moment in time” where everyone left with unforgettable memories.

Cross-Pollination And Label Unity

The album wasn’t just a celebration; it was a cross-pollination strategy.

  • Slipknot fans discovered Trivium.

  • Killswitch Engage fans were exposed to Machine Head.

  • Classic metal fans heard Dani Filth or Corey Taylor in new contexts.

This was deliberate. Roadrunner sought to blend audiences and reinforce label-wide loyalty. As Matt Heafy put it, “You weren’t just into a band or two from Roadrunner, you were into everything the label put out.”

The Roadrunner United concert in December 2005 brought 39 musicians from 25 bands together. The finale; Sepultura’s “Roots Bloody Roots” performed by nearly everyone on stage, epitomised the family spirit.

For marketers, it was an ingenious example of creating new content to organically cross-promote artists and strengthen brand loyalty.

Reflections From The All-Stars

Artists have looked back on the project with awe and nostalgia:

  • Matt Heafy: “I still have a hard time believing it happened… I want to do Part II.”

  • Robb Flynn: Credited the experience with influencing The Blackening and expanding his creativity.

  • Dino Cazares: Treasured the friendships and memories, especially with bandmates since passed.

  • Monte Conner: Called it “the highlight of my career”, though admitted it was a huge pressure.

Even decades on, artists rarely speak of it without pride – a sign of its unique success.

The Legacy: 20 Years Later

The album remains a snapshot of mid-2000s metal, capturing a moment when the genre was thriving.

In 2023, it was reissued in deluxe editions, showing continuing demand. It also inspired imitators; Nuclear Blast All-Stars followed, though never on the same scale.

For many artists, it influenced future work and opened doors for more guest appearances across subgenres.

While calls for Roadrunner United 2 persist, Conner has admitted it would be difficult to replicate today given lineup changes and losses. Still, the spirit of unity and collaboration lives on.

As Dino Cazares said, “I don’t know any label like that right now.”

And in Conner’s own words: “This record is it.”