Greetings Bartsch of Bethlehem. Have your days of late been full of darkness and misery or are you at last finding victory in this world?

Bartsch: Definitely not. The last five or six weeks were destined by pain & misery and the heck, it's the damn truth man, 1998 was kinda apocalypse for Bethlehem though all these good things like S.U.i.Z.i.D., Reflecktionen, etc. happened. Maybe one should stop doing this sarcastic dark metal thing otherwise one day the end is more than neigh for us all. I Guess I better should stop writing all these strange & blasphemic lyrics coz it seems that the sentence "Revenge is mine said the Lord Satan God" gets a deeper meaning for my life as well. Specially my new lyrics for album four are that Anti-God, Anti-Satan, Anti-Life, Anti-Death, Anti-Whatever....so I really asked myself where I should go when being dead? I can't gonna hell nor can't gonna heaven? So please tell me: where the fuck do I go then? Maybe to the Alexander World? Or maybe I gonna stay on mother earth until the sun turned black? Folks who gonna send me the right answer will get a withered leaf from my favorite tree in the Grevenbroich forest!

The Reflektionen aus Sterben MCD was released not long ago. What inspired you to do another version of "Wolfsstunde" from Dark Metal(entitled "Vargtimmen" originally)?

Bartsch: This idea was born during the Dictius Te Decare album recordings. We came to the conclusion that it might be boring doing some cover versions from other bands. Except of course "“Wo Alder's Wagen"("Where Eagles Dare") from Iron Maiden which basically sounds like a Bethlehem song coz we drastically changed the whole song. Okay, back to the theme: definitely like the idea to pick some more songs from Dark Metal or maybe Dictius just to translate the old stuff into what we think sounds important for us today. We absolutely like the idea of thy own cover versions. We know this is pure blasphemy but as a blasphemic bands we always are influenced by the always sick & absurd minds of some dull idiots who think playing in a band like ours means a bit more than to just have some fun or whatever else.

"Durch befleckte Beruhrung meiner Nemesis" has some very bizarre emotions to it, as do many of your other songs. What does this song translate to? When I listen to it I get the feeling of macabre, suicide, anger, and sorrow, with an element of struggle, as the opposites of anger and sadness are eternally fighting each other. Would you agree with this analogy, if not could you explain this more in detail?

Bartsch: This song is translated to "Across My Touch Stained Nemesis" and I guess I agree with your analogy. Why? Well, it's because Mr. Matton basically wrote that song and his song writing ever was destined by kinda deep personal struggle. Kinda eternal fight against all the worst things happened in his youth e.g. losing his mom & dad when he was just 12 years old. When he first played that song in the re-room I hated it coz of its real negative nature,. Don't wanna say that my own songwriting is that positive at all. It damn isn’t but I directly felt so much sorrow and pain behind "Across my Touch Stained Nemesis" that my lyrics for that song give back that suicidal emotion which is buried in Kalus’ guitar riffing. The Nemesis song was Marco Kehren's fave song from the beginning and he ever said that he wanted to sing that song because of the strong emotions/moods behind it. In studio he did that song with all the negative energy he experienced in 26 years of living and fortunately this songs includes some anger to coz otherwise it would have gotten one of the most negative songs ever. While writing the lyrics to that song my emotions got that strong that I did a mistake. I try to explain this a bit better okay? Once in the "Alexander World" two archangels spoke to me. Gabriel said "Frische Loraine Elf Krank" which in English means "Fresh Loraine Eleven Sick"”. I once saw that sentence when I was a child and we visited my mothers aunt in the mountains. We lived in a hotel which burned down the night we slept there. Three persons died that night and two later in the hospital. We were saved by firemen and the last I could remember was that I saw flames "walking" over the carpet which seemed to smile quite friendly and showed me a sentence which was "Fliehe Leben erlange Kälte"” which in English means "Flee Life reach Coldness". Lotsa years later I recognized that I wrote the title of that "Across my touch stained Nemesis" track the wrong way. But's just printed wrong on the Promo-CD's! It should be "Durch befleckte Beruhrüng meiner Nemesis". But I wrote: "Durch beflekte Beruhrung meinter Nemesis" which means the F.L.E.K. came back to me and until the S.U.i.Z.i.D. album was out I dreamed it every damn night! In the end of the lyrics it says:"Death Believes negligence instigates with vehemence/Across the pale ashes that broods a reality to fry Love/And the once straight beam is now bent/and strapped to the wick no more".
This might say it all!

What do all the horse skulls symbolize?

Bartsch: The horse skulls represent our sarcastic/blasphemic way of thinking. E.g. the horse skeleton sitting in front of a mirror means that we wanted to confront itself with its own transitoriness. This of course is quite symbolic and reflects the title too. Coz a dead horse which experiences its own transitoriness must recognize that every personal "ruin(Untergang)" basically is influenced by something "sardonic(Sardonischer)". The moment death awaits you round the corner always has to be "in the sign of irreligious performance(im Zeichen irreligöser Darbietung)" coz death means kinda "break" where all religions and all beliefs definitely end. This very moment should be "sardonic" coz "sardonic" just means that you try to laugh coz your personal God is neigh but can't coz you gonna feel your personal Satan and therefore try to cry in the same mement too. "Sardonia"” is kinda disease where your lips denude your teeth. It seems as if you would grin but you won’t coz this "grinning" gives pain like hell. We chose the horse coz on the one hand we worship the "flogging a dead horse" mentality and on the other hand wanted a death symbol too. This is the blasphemic idea of thinking: that death is as transient as life because the human race definitely means nothing in the eternal maelstrom of space & time.

You've spoke of having some very severe nightmares as a child, and finding yourself in a strange realm you can only define as “The Alexander World”. If you would, elaborate on this and explain how the morbid dreams have influenced the music of Bethlehem.

Bartsch: Sorry but momentarily I can't speak so often about the "Alexander World" coz Last I was there I "awoke" and my body was full of blood. My whole flat was full of blood too and honestly, I'm a bit afraid that I did some uncool things with one of my knives. And that I did it during I was in this "world". And that I should stop talking about my personal depths in the public for otherwise one day I return from the "Alexander World" I find myself killed by myself. In my early youth I once found myself on the second floor, naked, full of blood with a large knife in my hands. The door was locked from outside and after my parents fond me there they put me in a [psychiatric institution] where I'd to spend two years of my life. I'm not interested in this experience again but I found out that the more I talk about the "Alexander World" the more all these things come back to me again. So I better stop talking about a thing which better should be buried deep inside myself.

At times your music becomes very discordant and even a bit incoherent, are all of your songs written in a way that you know how they’ll sound when you finish recording them? How much of Bethlehem’s material is improvised?

Bartsch: All Bethlehem songs ever were finished in the re-room or in our minds before we joined the studio. Just my sample & keyboard ideas were "improvised"” in studio although e.g. myself always knew about the special sounds and characters. But sometimes I found some better sounds & stuff there. The Landfermann vox ever were improvised as well as the Kehren/Campen vox. This will be different on the next album too coz instead of just writing the music we started the ol' Bethlehem practicing again. This means that now the vox directly will be checked in the re-room to get a better idea how they might sound in [the] studio. Until today Cathrin does a very good job coz her vox sound as sick & brutal than ever!

The atmospheres you purvey sound like they're coming straight out of a dungeon. Did you record Sardonischer Untergang im Zeichen irreligoser Darbietung in a "normal" studio, or did you record it in a more strange place?

Bartsch: No. It ever was done in a "normal" studio. The dungeon should depend on our own thoughts & beliefs how a Bethlehem album has to sound like. Therefore we always produce ourselves by telling em studiofolks what to do or not.

"Teufelverrückt Gottdreizehn" begins with a strange clicking noise, followed by a spoken word passage with eerie chimes in the background. What is the concept of this one?

The "clicking noise" comes from a clock which is standing in my living room. I sampled that clock thing in studio to just combine its sound with what I planned for the song. I wanted the poem as a whole and thought it would be cool to translate this special sense in quite a special mood which is nothing but a mixture of sounds I experienced in my dreams & nightmares. The clock sounds are very symbolic to me but it's personal to tell about. I better write down that poem which might explain my motivations best?

How have things been with Red Stream as your label? They seem to be doing a great job with promotion, are you becoming more recognized in the murky depths of the metal underground?

Bartsch: Definitely! This is the work of Red Stream and the truth is that we never wanna change the label again. it’s not just a partnership...it also is a friendship between Red Stream and Bethlehem. No more to say about it.

Germany has the best beers in the world, like Hacker Pschorr, Celebrator Dopplebock and Beck's. But, I’ve heard from people in other countries that the beers Americans like are sometimes disrespected(for example, most Australians think Foster's is piss). Is this true as far as German beers are concerned? What are your favorite beers and do you like any American brands?

Bartsch: Never heard of "Hacker Pschorr" but still drank Doppelbock & Beck's. Don't wanna say both beers are piss but I more prefer the ultra-good stuff as .e.g.. "Krombacher" which should be the world's best one! I never drank your brands coz I never joined the USA. If I once should try yours though lotsa folks told me this would be the ultimate piss of the world. I'm not sure whether this is the truth so I better check this out for myself one day...

How long have you listened to metal? What were the first bands you got into? Has music played a part in the dark and depressive individual you are today?

Bartsch: I started the Metal thing in 1985 and my first "metal" album was Motörhead's debut on Chiswick Records. Music ever was the most important thing in my life although I'm no "depressive" individual today coz music ever helped me to find rest & peace. Especially metal did & still does.

If late one night a blood-crusted knife was found buried 3 feet in the soil and it had your fingerprints on it, what would you do if the police officer who heard the gunshots was deaf and all the witnesses were blind?

Bartsch: I would spread my black wings and return into private hell.

I know you hate this next question....but, what is in the near future for Bethlehem?

Bartsch: No future....future is doomed to death....the end is neigh....bla blah blablabla. We started on the fourth Bethlehem full apocalypse and another mini disaster too. This time it seems to get real strange & sick coz new members joined us after Klaus Matton left the band & Marcus Losen was fired. The new recordings should be done sometime in summer 1999 as well as live gigs this time. Live gigs weren't possible since August 1994 when the last time we played a German open air metal fest. Now that all scrap-irons are gone Bethlehem at least can raise from the ashes to experience all the things which weren’t possible before. Never felt such a strength before coz now really everything is possible & there definitely are no limits now. We don'’t know whether people gonna like that ultra-sick new stuff but hell, we fuckin do feel the long time buried energy again which should help to reach the goal one day: playing live in the USA.

The end has come my friend, you may conclude this interview any way you wish.

Bartsch: Rarely skulk inherent hermaphrodites their demons but speak in provisional wrath amongst humility.