The last time we heard from Nergal (formerly Adam Darski) was on The Satanist, the massive tenth album by his seminal metal band Behemoth. If that record’s vicious anti-religious manifestos didn’t make Nergal’s philosophy clear, he spells it all out for you in “My Church Is Black,” the first single from Me and That Man, his new duo with musician John Porter. “My church is black, my Christ is cold/My cross is pale, hell is my home,” he sings in a mournful baritone over a seasick melody. The song’s jangly guitar and harmonica breakdown wouldn’t sound out of place on a Tom Petty record, and it might be the closest thing to alt-country you’ll ever hear from a guy who poses with crows and corpse paint in his press photos. But that doesn’t mean he’s gone soft. “I've literally overcome death,” Nergal said in a 2014 interview, after surviving a long battle with leukemia. “I conquered it and I'm happy to sing about that which other bands can only imagine.” That’s exactly what he does in “My Church Is Black.” It’s vulnerable and defiant, gory and gorgeous, and, in its quiet way, as intense as anything he’s ever done.