Polish extreme metal outfitBehemoth released a new single and music video for their cover of Bathory’s “The Return of Darkness and Evil” from the 1985 album of the same name earlier today. And though it’s cool to see a classic reimagined by a modern metal titan, it’s also in service of Mystic Festival 2026 as its official anthem.
Speaking of the importance of the song to his career and how the cover even materialized, Behemoth frontman Adam “Nergal” Darski shared why something like this was important.
“‘The Return Of Darkness And Evil’ by Bathory has always been a particularly important song for me. Last season, I got to collaborate with Blood Fire Death, a tribute project for this Swedish legend.
“I then asked Erik [Danielsson] from Watain, who was singing this song during the project’s concerts, if he wouldn’t mind sharing at least one verse, so that I could also sing it. Seeing his reaction, I immediately understood he has as strong a connection with the song as I do, and he wasn’t about to share it with anyone.
“When Michał Wardzała suggested that Behemoth should create the anthem for Mystic Festival, I was game immediately. I had only one condition — that it won’t be an original song, but a cover. ‘The Return Of Darkness And Evil’ has everything that’s needed — an anthem-like character, fantastic groove, great lyrics that I completely identify with, and an extremely catchy chorus.
“I came to the conclusion, that it is the perfect song to embody the festival’s atmosphere and become its musical manifestation.”
You can check out the cover below and let us know what you think of it in the comments below. If you’d like to catch Behemoth live, you can do so later this month in ‘The Godless IV’ tour with Deicide, Rotting Christ, and Immolation. You can find the full list of dates below andget your tickets today.
BEHEMOTH ON TOUR:
W/DEICIDE, ROTTING CHRIST, + IMMOLATION
4/14 — San Diego, CA — The Observatory North Park
4/15 — San Francisco, CA — The Regency Ballroom
4/17 — Boise, ID — Knitting Factory
4/18 — Portland, OR — Roseland Theater
4/19 — Seattle, WA — Showbox SoDo
4/21 — Salt Lake City, UT — Union Event Center
4/22 — Denver, Co — The Fillmore
4/24 — Milwaukee, WI — The Rave
4/25 — Chicago, IL — The Vic Theatre
4/26 — St. Louis, MO — The Pageant
4/28 — Norfolk, VA — The NorVa
4/30 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore^
5/1 — Worcester, MA — Palladium&
5/2 — New York, NY — Palladium Times Square
5/4 — Buffalo, NY — Buffalo RiverWorks
5/5 — McKees Rocks, PA — The Roxian Theatre
5/7 — Daytona Beach, FL — Welcome To Rockville*
5/9 — Charlotte, NC — The Fillmore
5/11 — Toronto, ON — HISTORY
5/12 — Montreal, QC — L’Olympia
5/14 — Columbus, OH — Sonic Temple*
5/15 — Nashville, TN — Brooklyn Bowl
5/16 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade
5/18 — Dallas, TX — The Bomb Factory
5/20 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren
5/21 — Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Palladium
*Festival Date
^ = No Rotting Christ
& = No Deicide