Behemoth cover Bathory’s “The Return Of Darkness And Evil” as the anthem for Mystic Festival 2026

The official music video for Polish extreme metallers Behemoth‘s rendition of the Bathory classic “The Return Of Darkness And Evil” has been made public, as per Blabbermouth. The song serves as the official anthem for the 2026 Mystic Festival in Poland.

‘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. – Neural

Upcoming shows:

THE GODLESS IV 2026
BEHEMOTH + 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^
• 5/01 – Worcester, MA — Palladium&
• 5/02 – New York, NY — Palladium Times Square
• 5/04 – Buffalo, NY — Buffalo RiverWorks
• 5/05 – McKees Rocks, PA — The Roxian Theatre
• 5/07 – Daytona Beach, FL — Welcome To Rockville*
• 5/09 – 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

*Festval Date

^ = No Rotting Christ 
& = No Deicide 

TICKETS: https://www.behemoth.pl/

IN LEAGUE WITH SATAN TOUR 2026
BEHEMOTH + DIMMU BORGIR

• 09 Oct – Zurich, Switzerland – Halle 622
• 10 Oct – Zwickau, Germany – Sparkassen-Arena Zwickau
• 11 Oct – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg – Rockhal
• 13 Oct – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
• 14 Oct – Munich, Germany – Zenith
• 16 Oct – Paris, France – Zenith18 Oct – Den Bosch, Netherlands – Mainstage
• 20 Oct – Cologne, Germany – Palladium
• 22 Oct – Hamburg, Germany – Inselpark Arena
• 23 Oct – Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle
• 24 Oct – Brno, Czech Republic – Hala Vodova
• 27 Oct – Helsinki, Finland – Ice Hall
• 29 Oct – Stockholm, Sweden – B-K
• 30 Oct – Copenhagen, Denmark – K.B. Hallen

TICKETS: https://www.behemoth.pl/