3

Though they may have evolved independently, there's no question that Thumb falls into the Papa Roach/Linkin Park/Incubus bracket. Fans of these bands are advised to pick up 3 immediately, as it has enough extended mosh grooves and first-person raps about feelings to please any rap-metal devotee. The less initiated may pick up on Thumb's successful injections of melody, which work to set the group apart from the rest of the pack. When used wisely — as an effective foil against a rudimentary riff on "Lie to You" or as the structural basis of "Down Like Me" — melodic injections help Thumb reach their most evocative states. At times though, the device which keeps Thumb afloat also sends them sinking. Some of the group's genre-crossing experiments are overly ambitious and tuneful, the best example being the wannabe-alternative metal-pop of "Youth." Still, 3's lofty aims and sincerity are commendable. These traits might not usually garner note, but it's hard to argue with a band who closes their album with the rather non-Bizkit-ian advice, "Just love yourself/It would help so much/Have some confidence/It will pull you through."