German alt-rock quartet Guano Apes feature vocalist Sandra Nasic, guitarist Henning Rümenapp, bassist Stefan Ude, and drummer Dennis Poschwatta. With its fusion of metal, pop, and rap, the group won first place in a 1996 competition held by German music TV channel VIVA. Guano Apes' debut single, "Open Your Eyes," was a Top Ten hit in Germany that year, and 1997 saw the arrival of the band's full-length album Proud Like a God, released by Gun Records. The group's second single, "Lord of the Boards," commissioned for the 1998 European Snowboarding Championship, was an even bigger hit and pushed the album to platinum status in Germany and gold status in other European countries. RCA released Proud Like a God in the U.S. in 1999. ~ Heather Phares