For the last 25 years Adam Nergal Darski has been the face of Behemoth, one of the biggest extreme metal bands on the planet. Yet behind the pageantry and theatrics beats the heart of a man. A human being that feels, hurts, and bleeds just like everyone else. What people may think of Nergal when they see him on stage with Behemoth is very different to the man who sits before us today ahead of the first live performance from his new project, Me And That Man.

“It’s almost black and white, diverse, and radical,” he begins, speaking of the initial reaction to Me And That Man from Behemoth fans. “I go on social media everyday to investigate what people are saying. Some are fucking loving it, some are surprised that they actually dig it.”

It’s easy to see why their debut album, ‘Songs Of Love And Death’, is garnering such an intense reaction. Musically, it is a world away from Nergal’s ‘day job’ if you will, but aesthetic isn’t so far removed. “I took what I learnt from metal, such as the symbolism and themes and brought it here,” he says of the dark vibe that weaves its way through their blend of alt-country, neo-folk, and classic rock ‘n’ roll. It goes back to the more traditional roots of music.

“I bet for some kids it will open doors to different genres,” continues Nergal, after explaining that Behemoth has transcended extreme metal, and how he hopes to have educated their fans to no longer be close-mined. “If we can inspire someone to find out who Jack White is, they may go on to discover Led Zeppelin because they didn’t care about it before. They may go back and find out what originally inspired their favourite band, Burzum. We are all in the same cycle of inspiration and we are sharing it together.”

Nergal is quick to address something that has clearly been raised before. “I have to tell people to not ask me if I have quit Behemoth,” he laughs. “There is no Behemoth without Nergal. He is my precious child, and you don’t abandon your kids. He is fine, he is 25, and still has all my love and attention. Me And That Man is still a toddler.”

As we are sat on the balcony of the intimate Jazz Café in London, where Me And That Man will make their debut performance later on, Nergal emphatically states that “some serious history starts tonight.” He is essentially stepping into the unknown. “It took a long time to get to this point, and it wasn’t easy,” he says, reflecting on the creation of the album. “We now just have to face the reaction, and until I am on stage, I won’t know how I will be. With Behemoth it is very dynamic, but for this I will just have to wait and see.”

Despite this being such a monumental occasion in his career, Nergal remains relaxed. He is very charismatic, and articulates himself with a confidence rarely found in a musician doing something out their comfort zone. “If you are self confident enough you will be fine with any reaction,” he says, without any arrogance in his voice. “From my point of view, it’s sincere and has no gimmicks. There’s no place for anything fake. Take it or leave it. I live with a clear conscience about the record.”

Nergal gives a lot of credit to John Porter, his co-conspirator, and ‘the man’ in Me And That Man. “I’m not just teasing you, but I feel John gives me a lot more credibility,” he says, with a wry smile. “He is the man, he’s 70 years old, and he has seen and done this before.”

Porter was born in London, yet relocated to Nergal’s home country of Poland in 1976. He has been creating music since the 1979 release of ‘Helicopters’ with The Porter Band. “It made a lot of sense to have my good friend from the UK involved,” explains Nergal of their musical partnership. “The UK took rock music from the U.S and redefined it, whereas in Poland we are still learning. That’s the way I see it, and John really makes this more credible.”

Examining some of the songs on ‘Songs Of Love And Death’, Nergal describes ‘Cross My Heart And Hope To Die’ as being “very autobiographical,” and that he is very attached to the somber ‘My Church Is Black’. Again, giving praise to the songs that Porter wrote, he states that he is particularly fond of the loose vibe of ‘Nightride’, and that ‘Shaman Blues’ is “Immensely touching.”

There are some obvious reference points to Me And That Man, stylistically. But given the original title was ‘Love Is A Dog From Hell’, paying homage to Charles Bukowski, literature is a larger part of their lexicon than some may initially think. Nergal explains that it has a huge influence on his own writing.

“I learnt a lot of it from John,” he begins. “He is all about books, particularly noir literature. When we started talking about this project it wasn’t Nick Cave or Johnny Cash like people say, it was actually Bukowski. It was after that we started to think about the music, but books came first.”

Speaking of the album itself, Nergal briefly opens up about the theme that runs through it and how it relates to the striking, classic feel of the title. “It is about the road between love and death, with the road being a metaphor for life,” he explains. “Death starts with being born, and I know it may sound like an old cliché, but love, life and death is everything. I am singing about what is dear to me. It’s simple, metaphorically, but it hits you hard when you are emotionally involved in it.”

The talk of emotion leads on to the subject of the darkest time in Nergal’s life, when in 2010, he was diagnosed with Leukemia. When asked how it affected his outlook on life in its wake, he stops for a moment to reflect. “I have to remind myself of it,” he says, admitting he is still processing it after the fact, but is grateful for the lessons he learned during that time.

“I’m very thankful for the life that has been given to me,” he continues. “Your memory can fuck with you, and it’s easy to forget the important things in life. You have to keep it in the back of your head and appreciate what you have. The fact we are just walking and breathing is pretty fucking spectacular, and on top of that we get to make music people appreciate.”

For the foreseeable future, until such time that Nergal turns his attention back to Behemoth, Me And That Man is his primary focus. He faces an unknown, yet exciting road ahead. “We have the European tour right now, we are going to play some festivals, and hopefully Poland and Russia,” he says, pausing with a brief laugh, adding, “That’s if they don’t arrest me again.”

‘Songs Of Love And Death’ is available to buy now.