Dritte Wahl

Mixing punk music with politically-minded lyrical commentary, Dritte Wahl formed in 1988 in Rostock, Germany. The band's founding lineup featured frontman Marko "Busch'n" Busch, bassist Toralf "Holm" Bornhöft, drummer Jörn "Krell" Schröder, and guitarist Gunnar Schröder. Bornhöft left the lineup in 1991, and Dritte Wahl released its debut album, Fasching in Bonn, as a trio in 1992. Unapologetically political and fiercely left-wing, Dritte Wahl explored its own unique punk sound with albums like 1994's Auge um Auge, 1995's vinyl-only 6 Track Split mit den Dödelhaien, and 1996's Nimm drei. The group formed its own label, Rausch Records, in 1998, and later changed the company's name to Dritte Wahl Records. Now fully independent, Dritte Wahl maintained its space in the German punk community with releases like 2001's Halt mich fest and 2003's Meer Roggen Roll. Busch passed away from stomach cancer in 2005, with bassist Stefan Ladwig assuming his role in the band. A decade later, former Daddy Longleg member Holger H. also joined the band, turning Dritte Wahl into a four-piece group for the first time since 1991. Geblitzdingst, the band's 2015 release, reached Number 23 on the German Albums Chart, kickstarting a run of commercially-successful releases that regularly found Dritte Wahl cracking the Top 10. Two years later, the album 10 reached Number 12, but 2020's 3D climbing to Number 6. Mehr Meer Roggen Roll, a live album originally recorded in 2002, followed in 2022 and peaked at Number 22.