Review by Dominik on February 7, 2026.

Ok folks, I feel like it’s one of those days. A day that calls for the review of a truly classic disaster. So I decided to plunge headfirst into the murky depths of German Andras’ debut album “Die Rückkehr Der Dunklen Krieger” (“The Return of the dark Warriors”). A mess of a release so profound, it feels like it should come with a warning label, as it can lead to a serious case of depression. If you’re familiar with the band’s later works, where they started to blend pagan and black metal, brace yourself. Here it is pure black darkness, and before you’re even three tracks in, it becomes painfully clear why Andras felt the need to reinvent themselves later on.

The album does at least start in a way that seems mildly promising. An eerie intro featuring someone who sounds like Gollum trapped in an infinite loop is followed by some acoustic and ambient tones. Not revolutionary or ground-breaking, even by 1997 standards, but not entirely worn out either. Unfortunately, where the intro is a brief flirtation with mediocrity, what follows gives you a headache of a bigger magnitude, and all goes downhill faster than a drunk Viking on a sled.

While we could complain about the dull, lifeless production—which has no bite at all—it’s actually the least of this album’s problems. The real issue here is the music itself, or rather the lack of it. I know a lot of people of my age who suffer from (pre-senile) insomnia. Here is your cure, as this release is the sonic equivalent of a blend between a lullaby and a sleeping pill. The first thing you'll notice is the complete absence of anything resembling speed or energy. The songs stumble along like a one-legged pirate on crutches, with only occasional bursts of increased tempo that feel accidental rather than intentional. It’s as if the band members were shocked every time the drummer sped up by mistake. Now, slow pacing could be forgiven if it were paired with a gripping, immersive atmosphere. Unfortunately, Andras swings and misses here as well. The guitars at least try hard, but songs like “Nacht des Todes” (“Night of Death”) and “Die erste Schlacht” (“The First Battle”) derail themselves with bafflingly out-of-place solo acrobatics that feel like they wandered in from an entirely different record.

Then there are the vocals, which are another nail in the coffin of this release. There’s plenty of variation, sure—but not the good kind. It is where this album truly shines in its glorious ineptitude. Imagine a blender filled with black metal snarls, Daffy Duck impersonations, and clean singing. Take “The True Darkness”, for example, which layers clean vocals over the music in a way that’s not only off-key but so awkward it feels like a prank. Then there’s the guest female vocalist, who features in tracks like “Vollkommene Einsamkeit” (“Perfect Solitude”) and “Armageddon”. Her performance sounds as if someone dragged a reluctant schoolgirl into the studio and forced her to sing or read passages that she neither understood nor enjoyed. In “Armageddon”, the longest song on the album, her “operatic” delivery is paired with the black metal growls in a duet so absurd it borders on unintentional comedy or even self-parody.

By now, you’re probably wondering why I’m not spending more time on the actual music. Simple: there’s not much to talk about. This is the Groundhog Day of black metal, a kind of album where, once you’ve heard one song, you’ve essentially heard them all. Trying to sift through the musical debris for something of value is an exercise in futility. But if I must name two “highlights”, I’d grudgingly point to “Diabolical Christening”, which features a halfway-decent guitar riff that lingers for a moment longer than it should. Though in all fairness, the song is as diabolical as the pope preaching in St. Peter's Basilica. And then there is the interlude “Vor sehr langer Zeit” (“A Long Time Ago”), which hints at the folk and pagan influences the band would explore more successfully on later releases. Still, calling these songs “highlights” feels like calling a broken umbrella the best tool in a hurricane.

With hindsight, I am glad that the band didn't throw in the towel, but rather re-invented themselves and continued on a different, more solid path on subsequent albums like “Iron Way”. If you feel a strange need for self-flagellation, ignore my advice to simply trash this album, and listen to 48 minutes of extreme boredom instead.

Rating: 2.5 out of 10, because for the effort, I suppose. But like a soggy sandwich, “Die Rückkehr Der Dunklen Krieger” is something you may endure and not enjoy.