Nuclear Blast

Nuclear Blast began in Donzdorf, Germany, in 1987, when Markus Staiger founded the label as an outlet for hardcore punk records. Its catalogue soon moved deeper into heavy music, taking in thrash metal, melodic death metal, grindcore, industrial metal, power metal and black metal, alongside tribute albums. From those punk roots, Nuclear Blast developed into an independent label whose name spans several distinct metal traditions rather than a single fixed sound.

The label operates through subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. Its artist roster reflects the breadth of its metal focus: Epica and Amaranthe work in melodic, symphonic and modern metal settings; Sylosis brings a thrash-informed strain of modern heavy music; and The Halo Effect sits within melodic death metal. Nuclear Blast has also released music by Blackbriar, Stellar Circuits, Marilyn Manson and Swedish rock band The Hellacopters.

Beyond its own releases, Nuclear Blast distributes and promotes SharpTone Records, a label focused on post-hardcore and metalcore. Arising Empire, another post-hardcore and metalcore label, was part of Nuclear Blast's portfolio until Kontor New Media acquired it in 2020. In October 2018, French independent label Believe Digital acquired a majority stake in Nuclear Blast.