Bethlehem is a German metal band from Grevenbroich, formed in 1991 by Jürgen Bartsch and Kläus Matton. Before starting Bethlehem, Bartsch and Matton used to play in a German thrash metal band called Morbid Vision. Bethlehem are widely credited for inventing a whole new subgenre of metal, called dark metal, named after their first full length album. Many of their lyrics revolve around sickness, morbidity, suicide, death and madness, and may to some extent be personal to the band.