The Man in Black Metal

AS THE CORPSE-PAINTED singer, songwriter and guitarist for Poland’s Behemoth, Adam “Nergal” Darski has established himself as one of the most captivating and compelling figures in extreme metal over the course of an almost 30-year career. So it was a big surprise when he picked up an acoustic guitar and formed the duo Me and That Man with English musician John Porter in 2017. With nary a rapid-fire riff, pounding rhythm or guttural vocal, Me and That Man drew from a variety of sounds and styles in the service of something that was dusty and rootsy, but nevertheless wholly undefinable. And in Darski’s estimation, that was the best thing about it.

“Every time I talk to people, project.’” Darski says. “And I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t really think it’s folk music.’ So they say, ‘Okay, your project.’ And I tell them, ‘Well, it’s blues based, but is it really a blues band?’ And so on and so on. Because you cannot really put a label on this music.”