Bethlehem, one of the most popular bands of black/doom metal, appeared in the music industry in 1991, in Grevenbroich (Germany), being founded by Jürgen Bartsch and Klaus Matton, who had collaborated in Morbid Vision, a thrash metal band.
They debuted in 1994 with “Dark Metal”, followed by “Dictius Te Necare” (Latin title translated by “You must kill yourself”), in whose songs Rainer Landfermann (known as a bass player in the German death metal band Pavor). The album attracted the attention of specialized critics both due to the compositions and to Landfermann, whose voice was described as “one of the most disturbing and extreme voices that you can hear from a human being”.
Bethlehem is considered pioneers of a style described as “depressive black metal” or “suicidal black metal,” but over the years, the style of the group has evolved, leaving behind the influences of black and doom metal from the beginning in favor of German hardness, sometimes complemented by electro elements.
The band’s fame continued to grow from year to year, so in 1998 they wrote the soundtrack of an American underground movie, “Gummo”, for which the songs “Schuld Uns’res Knöcherigen Faltpferds” and “Verschleierte Irreligiösität” were released. Over time, creative fever has helped the band bring to the market not less than about 17 records (albums, EPs and splits) written over the course of nearly 30 years of career, the last one, “Lebe dich leer”, being launched this year.
