The steel world is in mourning following the loss of life of Jürgen Bartsch, founding bassist and principal songwriter of German darkish steel pioneers Bethlehem.
Bartsch handed away on August 27, 2025, after an extended sickness, as confirmed by Bethlehem vocalist Onielar, who shared the next assertion in translated from German by way of Instagram: “After a critical sickness, perseverance and nice preventing spirit, our beloved buddy and esteemed band founder Jürgen Bartsch handed away on 27 August 2025. In deep mourning and a damaged coronary heart. On behalf of Bethlehem.”
Bartsch‘s passing has shaken each the band’s fanbase and the broader excessive steel neighborhood. Prophecy Productions, Bethlehem‘s longtime label, additionally issued a press release, with founder Martin Koller writing: “My heartfelt condolences exit to Jürgen‘s household and associates. I’m nonetheless in shock. It’s onerous to cope with this loss and to convey in a couple of phrases what a beautiful human being and good artist Jürgen was – as that must be left for later: now we’re all sure by grief and sorrow. Relaxation in Peace, Jürgen!”
Shaped in 1991 in Grevenbroich, North Rhine-Westphalia, by Jürgen Bartsch and guitarist Klaus Matton, Bethlehem rapidly earned a fame as some of the uncompromising and experimental bands in excessive steel. Their music fused the uncooked aggression of black and doom steel with avant-garde buildings and bleak, nihilistic atmospheres.
The group’s landmark 1994 debut, Darkish Metallic, not solely lent its identify to a subgenre but additionally set Bethlehem aside with its haunting mixture of depressive moods and violent outbursts. Its follow-up, Dictius Te Necare in 1996, that includes the harrowing shrieks of vocalist Rainer Landfermann, stays some of the disturbing and influential albums within the historical past of black and darkish steel.
All through the years, Bethlehem underwent a number of lineup modifications, with Bartsch serving because the band’s inventive anchor and driving drive. Albums like S.U.i.Z.i.D. in 1998, Mein Weg in 2004, and Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia in 2014 confirmed Bartsch‘s unrelenting dedication to pushing the boundaries of maximum music, usually merging industrial, gothic, and ambient textures with Bethlehem‘s signature darkness.
In 2016, Bethlehem launched a self-titled album that includes Onielar from Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult on vocals, marking a brand new period for the band. The report acquired widespread reward for revitalizing Bethlehem’s sound whereas staying true to Bartsch‘s unsettling imaginative and prescient. Their most up-to-date album, Lebenslinien in 2023, additional cemented Bethlehem‘s legacy as innovators of depressive, avant-garde excessive steel.
Relaxation in peace, Jürgen.
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