Almost four decades of German punk rock with attitude, heart and plenty of punch: Dritte Wahl have long been a major force on the German punk rock scene. In 2027, the band from Rostock return with a new studio album and head out on tour. On 12 November, the quartet will stop at Z7, bringing brand-new songs, old fan favourites and their electrifying live show to Pratteln.<\/strong><\/p>\n When Dritte Wahl formed in Rostock in 1988, the Berlin Wall was still standing. The band played their first concerts in the former East Germany before developing into one of the most successful acts on the German punk rock scene following reunification. Musically, Dritte Wahl combine straightforward punk with metal riffs, catchy melodies and occasional excursions into indie and ska. Lyrically, the musicians have always taken a clear stand against racism, discrimination and social injustice. Songs such as \u201cMacht die Augen auf\u201d, \u201cZeit bleib stehen!\u201d and \u201cDas regelt der Markt\u201d perfectly illustrate their unmistakable blend of socially critical lyrics, driving energy and anthemic sing-along choruses. Their recent chart successes prove that Dritte Wahl have lost none of their relevance after all these years. The album \u201c10\u201d reached number 12 in the German charts in 2017, \u201c3D\u201d climbed to number 6 in 2020, and their twelfth studio album \u201cUrlaub in der Bredouille\u201d even made it to number 5 in late 2023. On that record, the band once again tackle the major issues of our time, wrapping subjects such as the climate crisis, social inequality and corporate power in a powerful mix of punk rock, anger and dark humour. FIRST-CLASS PUNK ROCK Almost four decades of German punk rock with attitude, heart and plenty of punch: Dritte Wahl have…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65023,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[151],"product_tag":[246],"class_list":["post-65032","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-event","product_tag-punk-rock","first","instock","virtual","product-type-simple"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/65032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=65032"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=65032"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/z-7.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=65032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
In December 2025, Dritte Wahl received the Cultural Award of the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock in recognition of their longstanding musical achievements and social commitment. On stage, Gunnar Schr\u00f6der (vocals, guitar), Stefan Ladwig (bass), Holger H. (guitar, keyboards) and J\u00f6rn \u201cKrel\u201d Schr\u00f6der (drums) remain a force to be reckoned with. In 2026, the musicians rocked Wacken Open Air, among other events, and celebrated a major hometown show in Rostock in front of more than 2,500 fans.
But even after almost 40 years of band history, standing still is not an option for Dritte Wahl. Their next studio album is already scheduled for late summer 2027 and will be presented at Z7 as part of the subsequent tour. The Rostock punk rockers last visited us in October 2024. Now we look forward to welcoming them back with fresh songs, tried-and-tested punk rock anthems and a hefty dose of live power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"