Jürgen Bartsch, the founding member of Germany's dark metal formation Bethlehem, has passed away. Bethlehem's record label, Prophecy Productions, offers its condolences: "It is with great sadness and dismay that we have received the dreadful news of Jürgen Bartsch's passing. Bethlehem's singer Onielar posted the following statement (here translated from German) on her Instagram account: 'After a serious illness, perseverance and great fighting spirit, our beloved friend and esteemed band founder Jürgen Bartsch passed away on 27 August 2025. In deep mourning and a broken heart, on behalf of Bethlehem'.
Our first thoughts go out to his family and friends, to whom we extend our most heartfelt condolences. We also understand that this sad message will be difficult to come to terms with for his many fans and followers. It is a feeling that all of us at Prophecy Productions share. We are in shock and mourning as the spirit of this label has always been one of community and a big family, including the artists.
The label's founder, Martin Koller, writes: 'My heartfelt condolences go out to Jürgen's family and friends. I am still in shock, It is hard to deal with this loss and to convey in a few words what a wonderful human being and brilliant artist Jürgen was - as that needs to be left for later: now we are all bound by grief and sorrow. Rest in Peace, Jürgen!'"
Our condolences, Tomaz and Jerneja from Terra Relicta Link
Greek gothic rock formation Blossom Death return with their new single and video “Morning After”, taken from the band’s forthcoming debut album Spirit, due 21 May via The Circle Music.
Emerging from Indianapolis' fertile underground, post‑punk/gothic rock quartet The Secrecy – whose members also perform with the likes of Flesher, Chrome Waves, Bringers Of Disease,...
French doomgaze duo Aetere sharpen their artistic vision with the release of their new single, "Cilice", offering another glimpse into their haunting and deeply introspective sonic...
German occult rock/metallers Melancholost will release their debut full-length, Tales From The Poisoned Apple, on 15 May. Melancholost is the new creative vessel of musician and producer...
"This time we're trying not to complicate things too much. We want to have a simple message, but that doesn't mean there will be fewer arrangements or less songwriting..." - Pedro Paixão
"I'm sort of asking questions - where are the heroes? Where's the defiance? Where are the people who oppose this?" - Alan "Nemtheanga" Averill
"We were outsiders, and nobody knew what the fuck was going on. We just listened to this extreme music that nobody else liked, and that made us very strong..." - Mikael Stanne
"For my sake, I could just stop playing the old stuff, but on the other hand, I know that our fans want it." - Anders Kobro
