{{Short description|Second studio album by Bathory}} {{other uses of|The Return}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox album | name = The Return…… | type = studio | artist = Bathory | cover = The Return of the Darkness and Evil coverart.jpg | alt = | released = 27 May 1985 | recorded = February 1985 | venue = | studio = Electra Studios, Stockholm, Sweden | genre = Black metal | length = 36:41 | label = Black Mark | producer = Quorthon, Boss | prev_title = Bathory | prev_year = 1984 | next_title = Under the Sign of the Black Mark | next_year = 1987 }}
'''''The Return……''''' (full title '''''The Return of the Darkness and Evil''''') is the second studio album by Swedish extreme metal band Bathory. It was released on 27 May 1985, through Black Mark in Sweden and Combat Records in the US. ''The Return……'' had a significant influence on developing the black metal and death metal genres.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ekeroth |first=Daniel |title=Swedish Death Metal |date=29 July 2008 |publisher=Bazillion Points Books |page=33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRRvfWp95FIC&q=%22bathory%22+%22the+return%22&pg=PA33 |access-date=2 October 2012|isbn=978-0979616310}}</ref>
== Background == Quorthon explained the album title as such: "We wanted people to just read out ''The Return……'' – as in a second album or a follow-up – and then flip the album over to look for a tracking list. Not finding one, what they got was this apocalyptic poem with the song titles woven into it. Only after listening through the album to the end would you get the full title of the album, ''The Return of the Darkness and Evil''".<ref>{{cite web|author=Quorthon |url=http://www.bathory.nu/htmlbathory/06_kap.htm |title=The Return of the Darkness and Evil |work=Bathory Official Website |access-date=23 April 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314230040/http://www.bathory.nu/htmlbathory/06_kap.htm|archive-date=14 March 2010}}</ref>
== Music == The staff of ''Invisible Oranges'' described the sound on ''The Return'' as "100% pure Venom worship, with everything from lyrics to riffs to titles swiped in part to make up the whole of the contents."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Invisible Oranges |title=Top 10 Great Metal Albums with Terrible Drumming |url=https://www.invisibleoranges.com/top-10-great-metal-albums-with-terrible-drumming/ |access-date=9 June 2025 |website=Invisible Oranges - The Metal Blog |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Reception == {{Album reviews | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name=AllMusic>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/return-of-the-darkness-and-evil-mw0000096149 |title=Bathory - The Return of the Darkness and Evil review|last=Rivadavia |first=Eduardo |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=22 August 2012}}</ref> | rev2 = ''Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal'' | rev2Score = 5/10<ref name="martin" >{{cite book | last1 = Popoff | first1 = Martin | authorlink1 = Martin Popoff | title = The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties | publisher = Collector's Guide Publishing | date = 1 November 2005 | location = Burlington, Ontario, Canada | isbn = 978-1894959315 | page= 38}}</ref> }} Since its release, the album has received acclaim as a landmark of the first wave of black metal, along with their self titled-debut and third album, ''Under the Sign of the Black Mark''. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic wrote of the album, "Like their eponymous debut of a year before, Bathory's 1985 sophomore effort, ''The Return......'', was an unbelievably coarse proto-black metal album influenced almost exclusively by the earlier works of Venom. But make no mistake: such was the genre's state of infancy at the time that, even though it was once again recorded under the most inadequate of circumstances at the auto repair garage Quorthon sympathetically baptized Heavenshore Studios, the album's impact still proved nothing short of revolutionary."
In various interviews, Fenriz of Darkthrone praised the album and defined it as "the essence of black metal".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://isolationgrind.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/interview-darkthrone-fenriz/ |title=Interview: Darkthrone (Fenriz) |publisher=Isolation Grind.com |date=5 September 2013 |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221102315/https://isolationgrind.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/interview-darkthrone-fenriz/ |archive-date=21 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://thegrimoire.com/666/Darkthrone/tabid/65/Default.aspx |title=Darkthrone |last=Zebub |first=Bill |publisher=The Grimoire.com |access-date=17 February 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://thequietus.com/articles/11560-fenriz-darkthrone-interview |title=Underground Attitude: Fenriz of Darkthrone Interviewed |last=Cook |first=Toby |magazine=The Quietus |date=19 March 2013 |access-date=17 February 2017 }}</ref>
According to the staff of ''Invisible Oranges'': "''The Return'' features some of the absolute worst drumming ever released by a legitimate record label. The fast middle section of 'The Rite of Darkness' even surpasses Mike Sus’ horrid timekeeping on Possessed’s debut. Legend has it that Bathory mastermind Quorthon was so drunk during the recording of this record that he couldn’t remember even doing it. It definitely sounds like a blackout drunk performed the pedestrian plodding and manic flailing to be found all over this record."<ref name=":0" />
== Track listing == {{Track listing | all_writing = Quorthon | headline = Side 'Darkness' | title1 = Revelation of Doom | length1 = 3:27 | title2 = Total Destruction | length2 = 3:50 | title3 = Born for Burning | length3 = 5:13 | title4 = The Wind of Mayhem | length4 = 3:13 | title5 = Bestial Lust (Bitch) | length5 = 2:41 }} {{Track listing | headline = Side 'Evil' | title6 = Possessed | length6 = 2:42 | title7 = The Rite of Darkness | length7 = 2:05 | title8 = Reap of Evil | length8 = 3:28 | title9 = Son of the Damned | length9 = 2:48 | title10 = Sadist (Tormentor) | length10 = 3:00 | title11 = The Return of the Darkness and Evil | length11 = 3:49 | title12 = Outro | length12 = 0:25 | all_writing = | title1 = | length1 = | title2 = | length2 = | title3 = | length3 = | title4 = | length4 = | title5 = | length5 = | total_length = 36:41 }}
The 2003 remastered edition combines tracks 1 and 2, and tracks 7 and 8, as well as adds the final Outro track.
== Personnel{{Citation needed|date=February 2026}} == ===Bathory=== * Quorthon (Thomas Börje Forsberg) – guitars, vocals, additional bass, production, cover design, back cover photography * Andreas Johansson – bass, back cover photography * Stefan Larsson – drums, back cover photography
===Production=== * Boss (Börje Forsberg) – production, recording, mixing * Gunnar Silins – front cover photography
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{Discogs master|5771|The Return……}}
{{Bathory (band)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Return, The}} Category:Bathory (band) albums Category:Black metal albums by Swedish artists Category:1985 albums Category:Combat Records albums