The team at Germany-based Nuclear Blast like to work hard, play hard and rock hard. Clearly, they’ve chosen the right employer.
From thrash to prog, hard- & grindcore, metal, rock and punk, the label doesn’t tend to do ‘a quiet night in’.
Founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger, it’s home to heavy rock/metal legends such as Dimmu Borgir, Opprobrium, Slayer, Machinehead, Nightwish and Biohazard – with sister offices in Los Angeles, New York and London.
Its main HQ is in Donzdorf, Goppingen in Germany, where The Independent Echo asked five key members of the Nuclear Blast team to tell us why they work where they do – and what they love most about their jobs…
Yorck Eysel, COO
What’s the coolest thing that’s ever happened to you at Nuclear Blast?
The first gold award for an album in Germany, which was made for 150.000 sold albums of MANOWARs “Warriors of the World”
What’s your favourite album you’ve ever worked on at the label & why?
Nightwish “Once” was the most exciting album with the biggest potential, the work for this campaign was a fantastic time.
What does Nuclear Blast mean to you and why are you proud to work there?
We have a great team and so much success, I am very happy to be part of it and cannot imagine that it could be better anywhere else.
Patrick Walch,Head of New Media
What’s the coolest thing that’s ever happened to you at Nuclear Blast?
It’s always great satisfaction and a pleasure when we sign any of my favorite bands like Behemoth, Machine Head, Suicide Silence, Carnifex, Fleshgod Apocalypse and many more.
Each time that happens I can’t believe it and am super excited to be working closely with my idols on album campaigns.
Also, beside all the impressive live shows and festivals we attend, our regular table soccer tournaments and poker matches with the German staff are fun.
What’s your favourite album you’ve ever worked on at the label & why?
Ouff, it’s really hard to pick just one… Generally it’s always satisfying when an album campaign pays out after months of hard work and you can celebrate a decent chart success.
The Spotify Session in Stockholm with Sabaton was an exciting celebration of a huge album campaign but it was also fun working albums like the previous one from Suicide Silence where we didn’t know how fans would accept the new vocalist.
Nightwish is always a big deal or breaking new bands like Blues Pills was a great success so far and there’s way more to come!
What does Nuclear Blast mean to you and why are you proud to work there?
Working at NB means working with professional people who are down to earth and share a passion for a certain kind of music and you won’t find this kind of folks anywhere else so, that’s why I’m proud of being part of this global heavy metal machinery.
Holger Tiefenbach, Head of Distribution
What’s the coolest thing that’s ever happened to you at Nuclear Blast?
I founded Xmas tree diving at one of our Xmas parties and cut my arms off
What’s your favourite album you’ve ever worked on at the label & why?
“Once” Nightwish – We are best friends and it is always a mega fun to work on each release
What does Nuclear Blast mean to you and why are you proud to work there?
I’ve actually worked here for 20 years here now and nothing has ever dragged me out. We never had a bad time here – that´s why I am proud!
Markus Wosgien, Head of Promotion
What’s the coolest thing that’s ever happened to you at Nuclear Blast?
There would be hundreds of happenings to be mentioned, but one of the greatest moments was maybe the listening session we did for “Crimson Thunder” of HammerFall in the summer of 2002.
We invited some key-medias for advance reports to the beautify Spanish island of Tenerife, where the band recorded this classic masterpiece at the studio of Helloween vocalist Andi Derris.
Not only the whole event and the surrounding was great, but also the fact that the band invited me to sing (or scream) along on the background vocals of “Unforgiving Blade”. A special moment for me, that I will ever remember.
What’s your favourite album you’ve ever worked on at the label & why?
Almost every album that I promote is special, as you work with musicians that you personally like and respect, and quite often became friends with you.
Some of the most special records were “Warriors Of The World” of Manowar, since I just started to work for Nuclear Blast and got this monster of an album, which also became a #1 and gold record in Germany.
Then for sure “Once” of Nightwish, since this album is simply a classic and our best-selling one so far. And finally “Blood Of The Nations” of Accept, since it was their comeback-album and turned out into a huge success, that we believed in, but hardly anyone expected.
What does Nuclear Blast mean to you and why are you proud to work there?
I ever was a metalhead, since I fell in love with “Metal Heart” of Accept in the age of 9-10 years. I am proud that my passion became my job and I simply love what I am doing.
I am able to work with many of my all-time-favorite artists, meet them, create ideas and concepts and built up friendships as well. I get paid for a job which reflects my life, that makes me happy every day once again.
Besides all the great bands, we have an honest, great and crazy boss as well as many great colleagues – in our office, but also as freelancers and employers all around the world. All hail to the lovely Nuclear Blast family.