Dritte Wahl (), also written ''3. Wahl'' (English translation: "Third Choice") is a

German punk German punk includes a body of music and a subculture that have evolved since punk rock became popular in Germany in the 1970s. Within the subculture of punk in Germany, a style of music called Deutschpunk was developed; this style of music has d ...

rock band from

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Their music is classified as

Deutschpunk German punk includes a body of music and a subculture that have evolved since punk rock became popular in Germany in the 1970s. Within the subculture of punk in Germany, a style of music called Deutschpunk was developed; this style of music has d ...

and displays clear metal influences. Dritte Wahl’s lyrics are in German and are very direct, politically motivated, and left-leaning. As a German punk band, and particularly as a punk band formed in the former

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

under the communist state, their songs handle common themes. In the song ''Macht die Augen auf'' (English translation: "Open your eyes") they took on the subject of the 1992 anti-immigrant

Rostock-Lichtenhagen riots Violent xenophobic riots took place in the Lichtenhagen district of Rostock, Germany, from 22–24 August 1992; these were the worst mob attacks against migrants in postwar Germany. Stones and petrol bombs were thrown at an apartment block where ...

. In their song ''Mainzer Straße'', Dritte Wahl describe the

Battle of Mainzer Straße The battle of Mainzer Straße took place in Friedrichshain, East Berlin between 12 and 14 November 1990. It was a major incident in the history of the city, following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The magistrate of East Berlin decided to e ...

that took place in East Berlin in 1990 when the city decided to clear the squatted houses. In their song ''Bad K.'', Dritte Wahl describe the contested circumstances of the death of

Wolfgang Grams Wolfgang Grams (March 6, 1953 – June 27, 1993) was a member of the Red Army Faction (RAF), a German far-left militant organisation from 1970 to 1998. Grams' death, officially while resisting arrest, caused a major political scandal and the ...

, a member of the far-left

Red Army Faction The Red Army Faction (, ; RAF ),See the section "Name" also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang ( ), was a West German far-left militant group founded in 1970 and active until 1998, considered a terrorist organisat ...

. Dritte Wahl have toured extensively in Germany. They toured Europe with

the Exploited The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1978 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan, with Buchan soon replaced by his brother Wattie Buchan. They signed to Secret Records in March 1981,

in 2003, including The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia and Hungary. In 2010 Dritte Wahl played concerts in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

History

The Rostock-based punk band ''Dritte Wahl'' formed in 1986, after a 15 year old Gunnar Schröder was gifted with a guitar; he formed the band together with his brother (Jörn "Krel" Schroeder) and a friend from school (Marko "Busch’n" Busch). The band performed for the first time in May 1988 in their school cafeteria in Rostock-Evershagen, where they covered a number of songs from the

Toten Hosen Die Toten Hosen are a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf. The name is taken from the German slang idiom ''tote Hose'' (literally "dead trousers"), which means "nothing happening"; "boring". The band has had an important success through th ...

. In the band’s original line-up, Marko "Busch’n" Busch was the front-man and Toralf "Holm" Bornhöft played bass. However Bornhöft left the band in 1991. Dritte Wahl achieved national recognition and success in the German punk scene as a 3-piece band; the line-up was: Busch’n (vocals, bass), Gunnar Schroeder (guitar, vocals), and Jörn "Krel" Schroeder (drums, vocals). Gunnar Schröder cites

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...

AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

, Accept, Freygang,

Ton Steine Scherben Ton Steine Scherben () was one of the first and most influential German language Rock and roll, rock bands of the 1970s and early 1980s. Well known for the highly political and emotional lyrics of vocalist Rio Reiser, they became a musical ...

Slime Slime or slimy may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Slime coat, the coating of mucus covering the body of all fish * Slime mold, an informal name for several eukaryotic organisms * Biofilm, or slime, a syntrophic community of micr ...

, Hass, and the

as early musical influences for the band. In 1998 the band formed their own record label named ''Rausch Records'', which was later renamed ''Dritte Wahl Records''. All of the band’s later releases have appeared on this label. That includes 10 official studio albums, as well as three Live albums, three compilation albums, and four live videos on dvd. On January 17, 2005, Busch’n died from stomach cancer at age 35. The remaining band members did not want to dissolve the band, and Busch’n also had not wanted that. Since April 2005, Stefan Ladwig joined the band on bass. On January 31, 2015, Dritte Wahl released their ninth studio album ''Geblitzdingst'', which was their first album that made it into the German Charts. Holger H. joined the band as guitarist and keyboard player. On September 1, Dritte Wahl released their tenth studio album titled ''10'', which reached place 12 in the German album charts. This album includes the song ''25 Cent'' about how retirees who cannot make ends meet collect used bottles for the recycling value. On September 18, 2020, Dritte Wahl released the album ''3D'' which reached place 6 on the German album charts.

Gallery

With Full Force Full Force (previously With Full Force) is a German heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented music festival held annually since 1994. Lineups 2014 4 - 6 July Amon Amarth, Architects (British band), Architects, Being as an O ...

History

Gallery

Discography

Albums

Singles

Videos

External links

References