We’ve known for a while now that Behemoth frontman Nergal would be releasing a folky solo album. The day has come, as Me and That Man has released their first single. “My Church is Black.” The song, taken from their forthcoming album Songs of Love and Death, is as close to a mission statement for the man and his new project, as he tells Noisey, who also premiered the video: 

“”My Church is Black” was the first song for Me and That Man. I wrote the main theme and instinctively started singing these lyrics, it flowed organically and I embraced it. I picked the song as first single, and opening track of the record. This song is a statement. It’s a new energy, exploring new dimensions of the genre I’ve not known before… but somehow, naturally, the song builds a bridge between these two worlds, the radical scene where I originally come from, to this new domain… full of shadows and question marks. Yet the trip is highly exciting and inspirational.”

The twangy song sounds like a cross between Nick Cave and later Johnny Cash, and while it’s lack of growl and blast beats might confuse a Behemoth fan or two, the lyrical content certainly won’t. The NSFW video tales place at a strip club, and while it’s a bit exploitative, Nergal says it’s about “a man lost in the carnal world searching for some sense and light on the way to enlightenment.” OK then.

Songs of Love and Death will be released on Cooking Vinyl on March 24th. You can preorder it here and listen to “My Church Is Black” here.