The group was founded in 1991. Before begetting Bethlehem, Bartsch and Matton used to play in a German thrash metal band called Morbid Vision. They recorded a few demos in the early 1990s before releasing their debut full-length album "Dark Metal" in 1994, which featured Andreas Classen on vocals.
On their second full-length album "Dictius te necare" (Latin: You must kill yourself), Classen was replaced with Rainer Landfermann on vocals (known as the bass player in the German death metal band Pavor). Landfermann's vocals were particularly extreme, described by critics and fans alike as "one of the sickest and most extreme voices you'll ever hear from a human being".
On "Sardonischer Untergang im Zeichen irreligiöser Darbietung", Landfermann was replaced by Marco Kehren from the band Deinonychus, Guido Meyer de Voltaire (Aardvarks) in turn replaced Kehren on "Schatten aus der Alexanderwelt" and "Mein Weg". With "Schatten aus der Alexander Welt" the band altered their style and abandoned the black and death-doom influences that made up their personal and distinguished style, favouring a more Neue Deutsche Härte (New German Hardness) and electronic approach.
Bethlehem faced censorship and was even banned from playing in some German cities. It started when Matton gave one copy of their first demo to a 14 year-old boy. After a while his mother started to call the band, saying that because of their music, her son become aggressive and built a "Satanic altar" in his room. In cooperation with other parents, they started a crusade against Bethlehem and their "satanic" music (although Bethlehem were never a satanic band).
Jürgen Bartsch, founder and bass player of Bethlehem, defines dark metal as such: "Dark Metal is a lifestyle, probably more than this. To the time we started with our own music, some of us made some ugly experiences with things like suicide or death in general. Myself was just back from the big German city I once lived in, where I lost nearly all of my friends and social contacts coz of drug overdoses or just coz they were bored by life in general and therefore killed themselves. Of course also lost people who were very close to me which totally shocked my complete appearance, from one day to the other let me feel lost and lonely again. When I came back into this miner´s ghost-town here, I had no friends, no nothing but only was buried in pain and suffering. Bethlehem was a way out, it totally helped to explain all those negative feelings and emotions into something so beautiful, which made it so easy to change all those dark things into something which always was a huge hold in my life, into music. Our former guitarist, Kläus Matton also lost his father who committed suicide and lost his mom who died from cancer and surely experienced everything in a similar way than I did. The others, Steinhoff and specially Classen came from broken homes and when I met them for the very first time, I very strongly felt that they also were completely lost. Basically four people came together, of such a kind that they all deeply were buried into something really dark, like living in a huge black hole. With no way out, no options or possibilities. Complete darkness, mental darkness. So the only chance to not follow the circumstances was to destroy darkness with music and though this was done instinctively, I believe today that the creation of a band like Bethlehem was the only chance to save our all lives. Not as a therapy or so, coz the therapy to that time were cigarettes and alcohol, more a promising path of light, completely born in the subconscious. We never discussed things like that but we all wanted to give it a name. Do remember this one rehearsal, shortly before we started recording our first demo, when suddenly our singer said: „the music is not evil, but it is dark. We all looked at each other and we knew it, that we exclusively play 'Dark Metal' and nothing else."
Dorn Meiner Allmacht
Bethlehem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blutregens
ersticke an der Allmacht meines todbringenden
Vermächtnisses
welches zu Sensen geformt
der Auferstehung letzter Hand sein wird.
Begraben in der erlauchten Ausdünstung von
erliegt mein Schrecken des dritten Kreuzes
der süßen Verlockung eines unsauber
schmeckenden
Grableinens
Blut
Oh Du, mein unsauber' Fleisch
vergilbe im Jetzt
töte das Morgen
Verheißung letzter Moloch
dem Grabe zugeführt
vergib mir meine Blöße
Blut
Heuchler im Ich
geboren aus Zerfall
aus der Anarchie
aus totem Fleisch
Erlösung
vergib mir meinen Schrein
vergib mir meine Seele
Schwärze
die verbotenen Zeilen
und immer nur der Tod
der ungestillte Durst
der kupferne Geruch
das berstende Inferno
doch wo bleibe ich
bleibt die Jungfräulichkeit
bleibt der Glaube
an die sich windende Flamme
meiner animalischen Blasphemie
Blut
du geschwärtze Hoffnung
meines jüngsten Gerichts
das sterbende Ich
geborgen in blutbeflecktem Tuch
geborgen in gar ewig' Ruh'
Verloren
gar ewiglich verloren
schreite in deinen Tod
denn wisse,
wo die Dunkelheit herrscht
bin ICH.
[English translation: Thorn Of My Omnipotence]
Christ, thou pale queen of the clotted bloodrain
Suffocate in the omnipotence of my
death-bringing
heritage
that, shaped like a scythe,
will be the last hand to the resurrection
Buried in the noble evaporation of greed and
penance
My horror of the third cross yields
to the sweet temptation of an unpure tasting
little grave
Blood
Oh thou, my unpure flesh
turn yellow in the present
kill the tomorrow
promise of the last dwelling
brought to the grave
forgive my nakedness
Blood
Hypocrite in me
born of decay
of anarchy
of dead flesh
Deliverance
forgive me my shrine
forgive me my soul
Blackness
The forbidden lines
and always only death
the unquenched thirst
the copper scent
the bursting inferno
yet where will I be
will be the virginity
will be the faith
of the writhing flame
of my bestial blasphemy
Blood
thou blackened hope
of my final judgement
the dying me
secured in a bloodstained cloth
secured in very eternal peace
Lost
eternally lost
stride into your death
For know,
where darkness reigns,
I am.
The song "Dorn Meiner Allmacht" by Bethlehem is a work of intense emotion and vivid imagery. The primary theme of the song revolves around the singer's inner turmoil and his search for redemption. The singer, addressed as Christ, struggles with his dark impulses and the remnants of his violent past. The lyrics use powerful metaphors like "clotted bloodrain" and "omnipotence of death-bringing heritage" to depict the singer's inner chaos. He reflects on his fear of death, the sweetness of temptation, and the fragility of life. The lyrics also speak to the singer's inner demons, who are personified as hypocrites born of decay, anarchy, and dead flesh. He longs for deliverance and begs for forgiveness for his "nakedness" and "soul." The final lines, "where darkness reigns, I am," imply that the singer's identity is intertwined with darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
Christus, du blasse Königin des geronnenen Blutregens
Christ, you pale queen of the clotted bloodrain
ersticke an der Allmacht meines todbringenden Vermächtnisses
suffocate in the omnipotence of my death-bringing heritage
welches zu Sensen geformt der Auferstehung letzter Hand sein wird
that, shaped like a scythe, will be the last hand to the resurrection
Begraben in der erlauchten Ausdünstung von Gier & Sühne
buried in the noble evaporation of greed and penance
erliegt mein Schrecken des dritten Kreuzes der süßen Verlockung eines unsauber schmeckenden Grableinens
my horror of the third cross yields to the sweet temptation of an unpure tasting little grave
Blut Oh Du, mein unsauber' Fleisch vergilbe im Jetzt töte das Morgen Verheißung letzter Moloch dem Grabe zugeführt vergib mir meine Blöße
Oh thou, my unpure flesh, turn yellow in the present, kill the tomorrow, promise of the last dwelling brought to the grave, forgive my nakedness
Blut Heuchler im Ich geboren aus Zerfall aus der Anarchie aus totem Fleisch
Hypocrite in me, born of decay, of anarchy, of dead flesh
Erlösung vergib mir meinen Schrein vergib mir meine Seele
Deliverance, forgive me my shrine, forgive me my soul
Schwärze die verbotenen Zeilen und immer nur der Tod der ungestillte Durst der kupferne Geruch das berstende Inferno doch wo bleibe ich bleibt die Jungfräulichkeit bleibt der Glaube an die sich windende Flamme meiner animalischen Blasphemie
Blackness, the forbidden lines, and always only death, the unquenched thirst, the copper scent, the bursting inferno, yet where will I be, will be the virginity, will be the faith, of the writhing flame, of my bestial blasphemy
Blut du geschwärtze Hoffnung meines jüngsten Gerichts das sterbende Ich geborgen in blutbeflecktem Tuch geborgen in gar ewig' Ruh'
Blood, thou blackened hope of my final judgement, the dying me secured in a bloodstained cloth, secured in very eternal peace
Verloren gar ewiglich verloren schreite in deinen Tod
Lost, eternally lost, stride into your death
denn wisse, wo die Dunkelheit herrscht bin ICH.
For know, where darkness reigns, I am.
Contributed by Adeline J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
idontimagineyouandi
[german translation: thorn of my omnipotence]
christ, thou pale queen of the clotted bloodrain..
suffocate in the omnipotence of my death-bringing heritage..
that, shaped like a scythe,
will be the last hand to the resurrection...
buried in the noble evaporation of greed & penance..
my horror of the third cross yields..
to the sweet temptation of an unpure tasting..
little grave...
blood..
oh thou, my unpure flesh..
turn yellow in the present..
horrible tomorrow..
promise of the load-dwelling..
brought to the grave..
forgive my nakedness..
blood hypocrite in me.. born of decay.. of anarchy..
of dead flesh...
(deliverance..forgive me my shrine..
forgive me, my soul...)
blackness..
the forbidden lines..
and always only death..
the unquenched thirst..
the copper scent..
the bursting inferno..
yet where will i be..
will the virginity..
will be the faith...
of the writhing flame..
of my bestial blasphemy..
blood...
thou blackened hope..
of my final judgment..
the dying me...
secured in a bloodstained cloth...
secured in very eternal peace...
lost..
eternally lost..
stride into your death...
for know..
where darkness reigns..
i am....
cristian Roelas
I Love this song
The voice is awesome
DARKMIND DARKMIND
Metal Head Nachtblut?? Are you kidding me 😂😂😂
Rastinfilm
Metal Head what? nachtblut is a joke compared to Bethlehem. I just checked it and it reminded me Sisters of Mercy and such light women metal ...haha
Jusktiinah
Nachtblut sind nun wirklich extrem scheiße.
Aaron Peter
Check out Nachtblut, that's another dark metal Band from germany
Psicosombra
There is no doubt!
idontimagineyouandi
[german translation: thorn of my omnipotence]
christ, thou pale queen of the clotted bloodrain..
suffocate in the omnipotence of my death-bringing heritage..
that, shaped like a scythe,
will be the last hand to the resurrection...
buried in the noble evaporation of greed & penance..
my horror of the third cross yields..
to the sweet temptation of an unpure tasting..
little grave...
blood..
oh thou, my unpure flesh..
turn yellow in the present..
horrible tomorrow..
promise of the load-dwelling..
brought to the grave..
forgive my nakedness..
blood hypocrite in me.. born of decay.. of anarchy..
of dead flesh...
(deliverance..forgive me my shrine..
forgive me, my soul...)
blackness..
the forbidden lines..
and always only death..
the unquenched thirst..
the copper scent..
the bursting inferno..
yet where will i be..
will the virginity..
will be the faith...
of the writhing flame..
of my bestial blasphemy..
blood...
thou blackened hope..
of my final judgment..
the dying me...
secured in a bloodstained cloth...
secured in very eternal peace...
lost..
eternally lost..
stride into your death...
for know..
where darkness reigns..
i am....
BEaST MOTHER
Great Rainer, this album i love over 20 years , awesome music and voice, still my favorite ❤
Bughuul Sinister
Me fascina esta canción es la mejor de todo el álbum. Bethlehem es mi banda de DSBM favorita además de ser los autores del género depresivo.
Graveyard Classics
yo concuerdo, es increible, y el vocalista ademas de ser increible musico es una persona muy agradable!