Thomen Stauch

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Short description|German drummer (born 1970)}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Thomen Stauch | image = Thomen Stauch 1.jpg | caption = Stauch on stage (2003) | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|3|11|df=y}} | birth_name = Thomas Stauch | birth_place = Krefeld, West Germany<ref name="bio" /> | alias = The Omen | occupation = Drummer | genre = {{hlist|Heavy metal|Power metal}} | years_active = 1985–present | current_member_of = {{hlist|Savage Circus|Coldseed}} | past_member_of = {{hlist|Blind Guardian|Iron Savior|Serious Black}} }}

'''Thomas''' "'''Thomen'''" '''Stauch''' (born 11 March 1970),<ref name="bio">{{Cite web |title=Blind Guardian - Band Members |url=https://www.blind-guardian.com/band_members_thomas.html |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=blind-guardian.com |archive-date=4 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804191129/https://www.blind-guardian.com/band_members_thomas.html |url-status=live }}</ref> also known by his nickname '''The Omen''', is a German heavy metal drummer, best known as the co-founder and former drummer of Blind Guardian.

== Biography ==

He began his career in 1984 with the band Lucifer’s Heritage, performing drums on their 1985 demo, Symphonies of Doom. After changes in the lineup, the band renamed itself Blind Guardian in 1987.

Stauch left Blind Guardian in April 2005, citing dissatisfaction with the direction the band had taken in its later years. His final releases with the band were the 2002 studio album ''A Night at the Opera'' and the live album ''Imaginations Through the Looking Glass''.

In 2004, while still with Blind Guardian, he formed Savage Circus with friend Piet Sielck. Piet introduced him to Persuader vocalist Jens Carlsson and guitarist Emil Norberg, who completed the band's lineup. They released their debut album ''Dreamland Manor'' in August 2005. Due to health issues that caused him to miss too many gigs, Thomen left the band on 17 August 2007 but rejoined the lineup in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thomenstauch.com/NEWS.htm|title=Thomen Stauch official website|date=20 April 2012|accessdate=20 February 2013|archive-date=27 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627141048/http://www.thomenstauch.com/NEWS.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Stauch has also contributed to other projects, including Iron Savior and Serious Black.

Stauch joined the band Seelenzorn in September 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seelenzorn.com/index.php?newsid=43 |title=Seelenzorn |publisher=Seelenzorn |date=19 September 2008 |accessdate=28 October 2011 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194852/http://www.seelenzorn.com/index.php?newsid=43 |url-status=live }}</ref> He has also played drums for the band Coldseed alongside Soilwork frontman Björn Strid.

Stauch is recognized for his fast and technical drumming, particularly on the Blind Guardian album ''A Night at the Opera'', where he combines the traditional intensity and speed of the band's earlier style with new, more technical and progressive elements. He uses Premier Drums, Artisan Turk cymbals, and Vic Firth drumsticks.

== Discography ==

===Blind Guardian=== * ''Battalions of Fear'' (1988) * ''Follow the Blind'' (1989) * ''Tales from the Twilight World'' (1990) * ''Somewhere Far Beyond'' (1992) * ''Tokyo Tales'' (Live, 1993) * ''Imaginations from the Other Side'' (1995) * ''The Forgotten Tales'' (Compilation, 1996) * ''Nightfall in Middle-Earth'' (1998) * ''A Night at the Opera'' (2002) * ''Live'' (Live, 2003) * ''Imaginations Through the Looking Glass'' (Video, 2004)

===Iron Savior=== * ''Iron Savior'' (1997)

===Savage Circus=== * ''Dreamland Manor'' (2005)

===Coldseed=== * Completion Makes the Tragedy (2006)

===Serious Black=== * As Daylight Breaks (2015)

===Mentalist=== * Freedom of Speech (2020) * A Journey into the Unknown (2021) * Empires Falling (2022) * Earthbreaker (2025)

== References == {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stauch, Thomen}} Category:German heavy metal drummers Category:German male drummers Category:Blind Guardian members Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Iron Savior members Category:Savage Circus members Category:21st-century German drummers Category:21st-century German male musicians