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The German musician Jürgen Bartsch, founder, bassist and creative head of the extreme metal band Bethlehem died on August 27, 2025 after serious illness. The news was announced by singer Yvonne “Onielar” Wilczynska. She said goodbye to Instagram with moving words.
“He died many times. But death was only temporary. After a serious illness, unshakable perseverance and great fighting spirit, our beloved friend and an estimated founder of Bethlehem – Jürgen Bartsch – died. In deep grief and with a broken heart. In the name of Bethlehem. We will never forget you, Jürgen. Quiet in peace,” wrote Onielar.
Bartsch has been the only constant member of Bethlehem since it was founded in 1991. As a bass player and main songwriter, he shaped the band’s sound and developed a genre that later became known as DSBM – Depressive Suicidal Black Metal. With the debut “Dark Metal” (1994) and the successor “Dictius Te Necare” (1996), Bethlehem created albums, which are still the milestones of the extreme music scene.
Bethlehem as a pioneer of the DSBM
Bethlehem connected Black Metal with slow Doom passages from the start and created a depressive atmosphere. While the scene was still small in the nineties, the band subsequently developed into a model for numerous artists worldwide. “Yes, we are the sponsors of this genre,” said Bartsch in 2017 in an interview. “Actually, we had nothing to do with the scene. In the nineties we played in front of ten people. People said: ‘This is shit. It’s not a black metal. It’s just about suicide.’ But then a few kids were interested.
A total of Bethlehem published ten studio albums. Last 2022 “The Gospel According to Alexander”. Over the years, the band’s sound changed again and again without losing the dark core. Two songs from Bethlehem also found their way to the soundtrack of the cult film “Gummo” by director Harmony Korine (1997). A proof of the relevance of the band outside the metal scene.
A life for music
The news of his death means a loss for the metal scene. Family, friends, companions and fans worldwide mourn a musician who created something of his own with passion and consistency. Apart from the mainstream, but with a lasting influence. “Thank you very much! It was a wonderful era and it will find a deep place in my heart forever … ❤️,” writes a fan on Instagram.