Thumb

Thumb was an alternative metal band formed in Gütersloh, Germany, in 1993. The group's original lineup consisted of vocalist Claus Grabke, DJ Jens Gössling, bassist Jan-Hendrik Meyer, drummer Steffen Wilmking, and guitarist Axel Hilgenstöhler, who was replaced by Axel Pralat in 2000. After one of their demos caught the attention of EMI, Thumb signed their first major-label contract in 1995 and released their eponymous studio debut in September of that year. Even though the album only reached Number 87 on the German charts, it gave the band enough traction to land a few opening slots for artists like Bad Religion, Dog Eat Dog, Henry Rollins, and The Foo Fighters during their European tours. They followed this success with 1997's Exposure, which peaked at Number 19 on the German Albums Chart and earned them an opportunity to tour the United States as part of the Vans Warped Tour. Thumb went on an indefinite hiatus shortly after the release of their third and final album 3 (2001) and officially announced their breakup in 2005. Following the group's disbandment, Steffen Wilmking became a part of H-Blockx, Jan-Hendrik Meyer began playing with Hudson, and singer Claus Grabke joined Alternative Allstars.