Nuclear Blast Records

Nuclear Blast Records was founded in 1987 and is currently owned by Markus Staiger. Originally from Donzdorf, Germany, where Nuclear Blast headquarters resides, Staiger compiled a vision influenced by the rock/metal scene in a four-weeklong stay in the U.S. He began from the very bottom, using his military service pay to fund his purchase and eventual mail order of new records. The money coming from the new releases of bands went right back into seeking out fresh bands and continuing the advances paid to the bands on the Nuclear Blast roster. Just three years later, in 1990, the label had an enormous breakthrough, selling 30,000+ copies of metal bands Atrocity, Master, and Incubus (not Incubus from the U.S.). In the years to follow, the efforts of Staiger began benefiting his label generously, adding and putting out what would be historic albums from the community – metal act, Gorefest, was the first on the label to claim a spot on the Swedish charts with the classic album Erase. By the closing of 2002, Nuclear Blast had shaped itself into a triangular empire worldwide with locations spanning out from Donzdorf, Germany to Sao Paolo, Brazil and Hawthorne, California. A huge factor in this status increase was the constantly evolving internet during this time. The websites of Nuclear Blast and the bands with the company, beginning in 1998, served as an advertising gateway for the upcoming bands and releases, tours/shows, and news updates. Because of the label’s prosperity globally, it has availed itself in 50 countries shipping product comprised of music, catalogues (140,000 copies distributed quarterly), and merchandise. Starting from scratch, this was quite a feat for Markus Staiger. Today, Nuclear Blast is at the top of the extreme music food chain claiming acts such as Behemoth, Candlemass, Vader, Meshuggah, Hammerfall, Suffocation, Testament, and Soilwork among many others. Three artists that have had and/or still have a huge effect on the success of the label and are varied on the label’s timeline are Gorefest, Amorphis, and Eluveitie.

www.nuclearblast.de

www.nuclearblastusa.com

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Gorefest (The Netherlands)

Gorefest built an extensive underground following over the course of the ‘90s with a powerful, groove-based sound. Founded by vocalist/bassist Jan-Chris De Koeyer and guitarist Frank Harthoorn in 1989, Gorefest issued their debut album Mindloss in 1991, with a drummer and second guitarist but, dissatisfied with the band's level of musicianship, De Koeyer and Harthoorn got rid of the two and hired on drummer Ed Warby and guitarist Boudewijn Bonebakker. The shift paid off instantly. Signing to Nuclear Blast in 1992, the band issued False. The record was more original as well as technical. There were enough underground enthusiasts to commend the record thus building Gorefest's cult following. With the release of Erase in 1994, the band was found moving gradually towards traditional forms of metal. In 1996, Soul Survivor combined the use of ‘70s Brit metal with death metal. After the following release on Steamhammer, Chapter 13, the band broke up. Debate to re-release the entire Gorefest back catalogue resulted in the band reforming in the summer of 2004. After a 6 year hiatus, Gorefest were back. A renewed contract with Nuclear Blast Records resulted in La Muerte. The band appeared at numerous festivals such as Dynamo Open Air, Wacken Open Air, Graspop, Earthshaker. The most recent album, Rise to Ruin, proves to be a heavy recollection of the early days.


"For the Masses" off La Muerte


"Confessions of Serial Killer" (live at Dynamo Open Air) off The Eindhoven Insanity

Band members:
Jan Chris de Koeijer – vocals, bass guitar
Frank Harthoorn – guitar
Boudewijn Bonebakker – guitar
Ed Warby – drums

(former members):
Marc Hoogendoorn – drums
Alex van Schaik – guitar

Discography:
Mindloss [1991 – Foundation 2000 Records]
False [1992 – Nuclear Blast]
The Eindhoven Insanity [1993 – Nuclear Blast]
Erase [1994 – Nuclear Blast]
Fear [1994 – Nuclear Blast]
Soul Survivor [1996 – Nuclear Blast]
Freedom [1996 – Nuclear Blast]
Chapter 13 [1998 – Steamhammer]
La Muerte [2005 – Nuclear Blast]
Rise to Ruin [2007 – Nuclear Blast]

www.myspace.com/gorefest

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Amorphis (Finland)

Finnish band Amorphis, led by guitarist Esa Holopainen, pursued a neoclassical version of death metal, which preferred the sound of keyboards. After debuting in a conventional thrash vein on The Karelian Isthmus, the band veered abruptly towards a keyboard-intensive sound and lyircs inspired by the national epics on Tales from the Thousand Lakes. Elegy, featuring new keyboardist Kim Rantala, new drummer Pekka Kasari, and Tuonela, featuring keyboardist Santeri Kallio, further refined their hyper-fusion of metal, progressive and psychedelic elements thanks to arrangements that were not ashamed of incorporating ethnic, classical or folk instruments. The following releases, Am Universum and Far from the Sun, took a rock-oriented approach with the involvement of classical instruments into standard hard rock tunes. The departed of long-time singer Pasi Koskinen, however, led to a flashback to the innovative Amorphis style yet still maintaining a consistent, refined song structuring. Tomi Joutsen gave a new voice to the latter Amorphis catalogue Eclipse (2006), Silent Waters (2007), and Skyforger which continued to expand their ever more serious musical vision.


"House of Sleep" off Eclipse


"Alone" (live at Provinssirock 2006) off AM Universum

Band members:
Tomi Joutsen – vocals
Esa Holopainen – lead guitar
Tomi Koivusaari – rhythm guitar
Niclas Etelavuori – bass guitar
Santeri Kallio – keyboards
Jan Rechberger – drums

(former members):
Pasi Koskinen – vocals
Olli-Pekka Laine – bass guitar
Pekka Kasari – drums
Kim Rantala – keyboards
Kasper Martenson – keyboards

Discography:
The Karelian Isthmus [1992 – Relapse/Nuclear Blast]
Tales from the Thousand Lakes [1994 – Relapse/Nuclear Blast]
Elegy [1996 – Relapse/Nuclear Blast]
Tuonela [1999 – Relapse/Nuclear Blast]
Am Universum [2001 – Relapse/Nuclear Blast]
Far from the Sun [2003 – Nuclear Blast/Relapse]
Eclipse [2006 – Nuclear Blast/Relapse]
Silent Waters [2007 – Nuclear Blast/Relapse]
Skyforger [2009 – Nuclear Blast/Relapse]
* Nuclear Blast [Europe], Relapse [US]

www.amorphis.net

www.myspace.com/amorphis

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Eluveitie (Switzerland)

Swiss folk-metal band Eluveitie incorporate folk instrumentation such as hurdy-gurdy, flute, and pipes into an otherwise traditional death metal style, also adding a pagan element channeled through lyrics in the Gaulish language (a dead language in the Celtic family that predated Latin throughout Western Europe). Formed in 2002 by frontman Chrigel Glanzmann, the band began as a one-off studio project resulting in the self-financed EP Vęn in 2003. The EP was well received in the underground metal community, and so Glanzmann decided to carry the project forward, becoming a genuine band. In 2004, Eluveitie made their live performance debut and signed a recording contract with the Dutch label Fear Dark Records, which released an updated version of the Vęn EP. In 2005, the band toured with fellow Fear Dark bands Slechtvalk, Random Eyes, and Pantokrator and made plans to release their debut album, recording it at the end of the year. Released in 2006 on Fear Dark, Spirit marks the band's full-length debut. In support of the album, Eluveitie toured Europe with the German band Odroerir, including a co-headlining performance at the 2006 Fear Dark festivals and also a performance at the 2007 Ragnarök Festival in Germany. In late 2007, Eluveitie signed a recording contract with Nuclear Blast and released their second full-length album, Slania, in 2008. The album became a Top 40 hit on the Swiss albums chart. Deviating from their metal expectations, the band decided to release a culturally-rooted arrangement of acoustic songs on the The Arcane Dominion in 2009. They promised the following album to be a heavy representation and it was. The brand new release, Everything Remains As It Never Was in 2010, incorporates more English in the writing while continuing to exemplify the stories of Gaulish history.


"Inis Mona" off Slania


"Tegernako" (live at Summerbreeze Festival 2008) off Spirit

Band members:
Chrigel Glanzmann – vocals, mandola, whistles, pipes, gaita, acoustic guitar, bodhran
Meri Tadic – violin, vocals
Merlin Sutter – drums
Simeon Koch – lead guitar
Ivo Henzi – rhythm guitar
Anna Murphy – hurdy-gurdy, vocals
Kay Brem – bass guitar
Pade Kistler – bagpipes, whistles

(former members):
Sevan Kirder – bagpipes, flutes, whistles, vocals
Rafi Kirder – bass guitar, vocals
Severin Binder – bagpipes, flutes, whistles, vocals
Linda Suter – fiddle, vocals
Sarah Kiener – hurdy-gurdy, crumhorn, accordion, vocals
Dani Furer – lead guitar
Dide Marfurt – hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes
Gian Albertin – bass guitar, vocals, sound effects
Dario Hofstetter – drums
Yves Tribelhorn – rhythm guitar
Philipp Reinmann – Irish bouzouki
Mattu Ackerman - fiddle

Discography:
Ven [2004 – Fear Dark]
Spirit [2006 – Fear Dark]
Slania [2008 – Nuclear Blast]
Evocation I: The Arcane Dominion [2009 – Nuclear Blast]
Everything Remains As It Never Was [2010 – Nuclear Blast]

www.eluveitie.ch

www.myspace.com/eluveitie

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The enormous spread of Nuclear Blast over the last 20 years is best portrayed through the cross- hemispheric domination of these European metal acts. Gorefest was one of the foundation bands of many to help build the label’s reputable empire. Amorphis came along with a new breed of metal incorporating folklore and classical elements which opened doors to numerous acts of innovation to Nuclear Blast. Eluveitie, being a more recent addition to the label, has been part of the folk-metal movement that has swept across the devoted U.S. scene yearly bringing unending creativity and influence. The label has a plethora of artists varying in metal subgenres covering every possible musical palette for extreme music. The social equality of metal artists allows European and South American artists of cultural difference to keep up with the status of North American metal, thus balancing Nuclear Blast on the triangular spectrum. In this process, Nuclear Blast has adapted to the functioning of mainstream major record labels and encouraged related labels to do the same in its actions.