When Markus Staiger founded Nuclear Blast in 1987, he was a 21-year-old with 7,000 German marks (£3,300) and a burning passion for hardcore punk. A former tape-trader, he wanted to distribute the music he loved so much, which started with a compilation of US hardcore bands called Senseless Death. Little did anyone know that that release marked the start of what would become one of metal’s most towering labels.
Today Nuclear Blast are unstoppable, their roster being a who’s-who of modern heaviness. Sabaton, Nightwish, Anthrax, Testament, Kreator, Hatebreed, In Flames, Fear Factory and Enslaved all call it home. How the hell did such a glorious ascent happen? Well, here’s the story of the little label turned major player, as told in just five albums:
