MONTE CONNER LEAVES ROADRUNNER RECORDS

When Warner Music shuttered Roadrunner’s European office and laid off U.S. staff this Spring the names of those let go weren’t made public. But today the label officially announced what many of us already knew: A&R guru Monte Conner has left the building.

Conner worked for Roadrunner for 25 years. To say this is truly the end of an era would be an understatement. You no doubt own several albums he helped bring into reality, or at the very least own albums heavily influenced by albums he helped bring into reality. If you regularly attend metal shows in NYC you’ve probably even seen him around. His massive influence upon the history of metal is profound.

Just a few of the bands he signed: Annihilator, Biohazard, Brujeria, Jerry Cantrell, Cavalera Conspiracy, Chimaira, Coal Chamber, Cynic, Death, Deicide, DevilDriver, Fear Factory, Gojira, Gorguts, Life of Agony, Machine Head, Malevolent Creation, Murderdolls, Nailbomb, Obituary, Pestilence, Porcupine Tree, Rush, Sepultura, Slipknot, Solitude Aeturnus, Soulfly, Stone Sour, Storm Corrosion, Suffocation, Times of Grace, Trivium, and Type O Negative.

No, Conner did not sign Nickelback.

Best of luck in whatever’s next, Monte!

– The MetalSucks staff