Roadrunner Records

Roadrunner Records appears in the book as a defendant in civil litigation over claims that music had influenced youths involved in a fatal convenience-store attack. The lawsuits placed the record company, alongside Metal Blade Records, within a dispute over alleged links between recorded music and criminal behavior; the labels settled without admitting guilt.

The Lawsuits and Their Claims

The surviving store employee and the family of the deceased employee brought civil suits, arguing that the youths’ behavior had been heavily influenced by music by Deicide and Cannibal Corpse. A police-interrogation recording captured one of the youths, Rabago, attributing the crime to the influence of Glen Benton and Chris Barnes, whom the account identifies as Cannibal Corpse’s lead singer. The youths had also allegedly listened to Deicide in a church parking lot shortly before the attack.

Evidence and Settlement

Material seized from the youths’ homes—including CDs, T-shirts, band photographs, and Satanic literature—was entered into evidence. The suits were directed mainly at Roadrunner Records and Metal Blade Records. The labels settled out of court and paid substantial sums; the account specifies that the settlements expressly did not constitute admissions of guilt.

Significance and Limits

Roadrunner Records’ documented role here is that of a company named in litigation over alleged musical influence. The settlement establishes the outcome of the civil suits, not an admission by the company or a finding that the music caused the crime. The episode therefore records both the legal and cultural stakes attached to claims about music’s influence while leaving the asserted causal link unconfirmed.