When Roadrunner celebrated their twenty-fifth anniversary in 2005, they did so in style. Not only did the label call on an A-list roster of bands past and present to collaborate for the still-stunning Roadrunner United album, it also managed to get many of those same artists together for a celebratory gig the like of which the world had never seen. With a core band comprising Dino Cazares (Fear Factory), Adam Duce (Machine Head), the late Paul Gray (Slipknot), the late Joey Jordison (Slipknot), Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) and Roy Mayorga (Hellyeah); the show saw a roll call of label luminaries pay tribute to Roadrunner by running through some of its greatest hits.
While today Roadrunner may be rather less prolific than formerly (although the label still has the likes of Trivium, Gojira and Stone Sour among its ranks), it is worth remembering that it has been responsible for some of the most enduring albums in metal’s great firmament. Hell, in the late 90s, the vast majority of metal’s biggest acts were housed there, with Sepultura, Fear Factory, Soulfly, Type O Negative, Slipknot and Machine Head all calling Roadrunner home. What a roster! Few labels could match the judgement of the great Monte Connor in terms of eying up emerging talent and, as this concert makes clear, Roadrunner has a legacy that will endure for decades to come.
For those of a certain age, Roadrunner United The Concert plays out as a sort of best of their teenage years and, as the band take the stage to Biohazard’s untouchable Punishment (complete with original ‘Hazard vocalists Evan and Billy), you can feel the hairs rising on the back of the neck. With the band sticking in hardcore territory, Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta blazes through Madall’s Set It Off, while Scott Ian pops up to lend a hand on March Of The S.O.D. making for a devastating opening. Of course, any concert that starts off so brutally is sure to have the audience on side and, by the time Mina Caputo joins the band for a blistering River Runs Red, the temperature has reached boiling point. This is metal history we’re talking here, and the concert excels when it throws the odd curveball, such as Deicide’s Glenn Benton tackling Obituary on a particularly gnarly The End Complete. For classic rock fans, hearing Tim “Ripper” Owns do his best King Diamond on a pair of tracks will surely delight, while Trivium set the venue alight with a brutal Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr, complete with a Robb Flynn guest vocal and a snippet of Pantera’s Domination on the outro.
The concert is filled with such moments. Take, for example, the moment Jesse Leach joins Howard Jones for a rabid take on Killswitch Engage’s My Last Serenade, the band’s breakthrough cut and a rare opportunity to see both vocalists spurring each other on. It’s a remarkable performance, although not everything is so successful. While the typically excellent Matt Heafy does a decent enough job on Fear Factory’s Replica, he lack’s Burton’s theatricality; while Ville Valo frankly murders Type O’s Black Number 1, delivering an anaemic and somewhat tuneless take on a track that deserved so much better. These are rare missteps, however, and Mina Caputo gets things back on track, fronting Roadrunner United for Tired ‘n’ Lonely, while a show-stopping Bother provides some much-needed respite from the bombast.
The final third of the concert sees a handful of great tracks from the Roadrunner United disc, namely The Rich man, The Dagger and The End, although these feel a little unrehearsed compared to the well-worn classics, with The Rich Man sounding particularly ropey. Fortunately, the concert hits a frantic peak from this point, with Soulfly’s Eye For An Eye giving way to Sepultura’s Refuse/Resist, Slipknot’s Surfacing and Machine Head’s Davidian. These are tracks beloved throughout the metal world and the assembled musicians know them like the backs of their hands, giving performances that blaze with raw power. With the audience in pieces, there’s still room for more, and we get a rousing finale of Slipknot’s (Sic), before an all-star Roots Bloody Roots causes the roof to cave in. With Corey Taylor, Robb Flynn, Howard Jones, Jesse Leach and Tommy Vext all helping out on vocals, it’s a cataclysmic conclusion and a fitting finale to this wide-roaming label tribute.
When you consider the sheer amount of talent that Roadrunner somehow crammed onto the stage, it is really rather remarkable that this concert has not been on general release for years. While the eclectic selection will mean that most fans will skip the odd track here and there, this is a largely stunning concert that showcases the Faustian levels of success Roadrunner achieved over the years. While some of the tracks feel a little rushed (especially the new material) and a couple of performances fail to live up to expectations; this twenty-five-song, two-hour concert connects more often than not. As such, Roadrunner United: The Concert is a must have for anyone with an interest in metal, and especially for those who grew up during the late 90s, when the label hit its artistic and commercial peak. 8/10
SIDE A:
Biohazard’ // “Punishment”
Madball // “Set It Off”
Stormtroopers Of Death // “March Of The S.O.D.”
Life Of Agony // “River Runs Red”
Obituary // “The End Complete”
SIDE B:
Mercyful Fate // “Curse Of The Pharaohs”
King Diamond ”Abigail”
Annihilator // “Alison Hell”
Deicide // “Dead By Dawn”
SIDE C:
Trivium // “Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr”
Killswitch Engage // “My Last Serenade”
Chimaira // Pure Hatred”
Fear Factory // “Replica”
SIDE D:
Type O Negative // “Black No. 1”
Roadrunner United // Tired ‘N Lonely”
Stone Sour // “Brother”
Roadrunner United // “The Rich Man”
SIDE E:
Roadrunner United // “The Dagger”
Roadrunner United // “The End”
Soulfly // “Eye For An Eye”
Sepultura // “Refuse/Resist”
SIDE F:
Slipknot // “Surfacing”
Machine Head // “Davidian”
Slipknot // “(sic)”
Sepultura // “Roots Bloody Roots”
