Behemoth Release Cover of Bathory’s “The Return Of Darkness And Evil” Ahead of Mystic Festival

Polish blackened death metal titans Behemoth have unveiled a new cover of “The Return Of Darkness And Evil,” originally by legendary black metal pioneers Bathory. The track was the title song of Bathory’s 1985 sophomore album and now serves as the theme for this year’s Mystic Festival, which runs June 3rd-6th in Gdansk, Poland.

Joining Behemoth atop the festival lineup will be Megadeth and Black Label Society, as Mystic Festival continues to be Poland’s largest metal gathering.

Vocalist/guitarist Adam “Nergal” Darski explained his choice to cover the song rather than write an original:

“I set one condition: it wouldn’t be an original composition, but a cover. ‘The Return Of Darkness And Evil‘ has everything you need: an anthemic quality, a fantastic groove, great lyrics that I completely identify with, and an incredibly catchy chorus. I thought it was the perfect song to capture the festival’s atmosphere and become its musical manifestation.”

The music video for the cover was directed by Dariusz Szermanowicz (Grupa 13) and can be viewed below.

Before appearing at Mystic Festival, Behemoth will hit North America this spring on the ‘The Godless IV Tour,’ joined by Floridian death metallers Deicide, Greek melodic black metal veterans Rotting Christ, and New York death metal act Immolation.

Behemoth ‘The Godless IV Tour’ 2026 North America Dates

• 04/14 San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
• 04/15 San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
• 04/17 Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
• 04/18 Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
• 04/19 Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
• 04/21 Salt Lake City, UT – Union Event Center
• 04/22 Denver, CO – The Fillmore
• 04/24 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
• 04/25 Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre
• 04/26 St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
• 04/28 Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
• 04/30 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore (no Rotting Christ)
• 05/01 Worcester, MA – Palladium (no Deicide)
• 05/02 New York, NY – Palladium Times Square
• 05/04 Buffalo, NY – Buffalo RiverWorks
• 05/05 McKees Rocks, PA – The Roxian Theatre
• 05/07 Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome To Rockville
• 05/09 Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
• 05/11 Toronto, ON – HISTORY
• 05/12 Montreal, QC – L’Olympia
• 05/14 Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple
• 05/15 Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
• 05/16 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
• 05/18 Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory
• 05/20 Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
• 05/21 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium

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