'In all of my A&R travels I had never experienced a musician who was so plugged into and knowledgeable about the label and even my career,' he says. He remembers how Joey in particular wanted to nerd out over metal – 'He not only had a vast knowledge of extreme and underground heavy metal, but he was an encyclopedia on all things Roadrunner Records' – leaving a remarkably strong impression on Monte. They wanted to be on Roadrunner and this was the most important gig of their lives to date.' They were wearing their standard coveralls but not their masks – they wanted to look me in the eyes. Of his first meeting with the band – at a Chicago showcase on Ap– the industry veteran recalls how Slipknot 'lined up to meet me, one by one, as if they were rank-and-file soldiers meeting an officer – deadly serious, like they were going into battle. Read this: 13 times Joey Jordison proved he was the best of the best Everything had coalesced and it felt like all the planets had finally aligned – I saw the band’s true potential and knew I had to sign them.' And it was all driven by the foundation of Joey’s over-the-top, manic drumming style. 'It did not fit any genre of metal, but seemed to take the best elements from the entire metal palette and combine them all into an utterly unique, multi-dimensional beast. 'It was raw, seething, emotional, explosive, creative, guttural and beautiful all at the same time, and completely untethered from tradition,' says Monte.

He shares that he first came to learn about the ’Knot 'in late 1997', before hearing the demo for Spit It Out (eventually released on 1999's self-titled debut) in early 1998. Monte – who was formerly the Senior Vice President of A&R at Roadrunner, and is now VP of A&R at Nuclear Blast – writes for Variety that the late Joey Jordison was not only 'one of the most talented musicians I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with', but also 'a gifted songwriter, arranger and guitarist who understood the art of crafting huge choruses and hooks' away from the kit. Joining the incredibly long list of Joey Jordison tributes, Monte Conner has shared an essay about the unbelievably talented drummer, and what it was like signing Slipknot to Roadrunner Records back in 1998.

I saw the sign