Following the departure of two band members, Cradle of Filth singer Dani Filth took to his Instagram over the weekend to respond to the recent shock exits of keyboardist Zoë M. Federoff and her husband, guitarist Marek “Ashok” Šmerda.
“After a long day of reflection on the road, I want to make one final statement about recent events,” wrote Filth. “First, I’ll acknowledge that in my last message I let fatigue and frustration steer me into sharing more personal detail than was probably necessary. For that, I apologise. The truth of my account remains, but out of respect for everyone involved, I will not be commenting further on personal matters in public.”
In the earlier, much lengthier post he was referring to, Filth apologized for taking so long to respond, noting that the band is currently on tour in South America. Among the matters he addressed was a seemingly disputed contract he described as not final but a “framework” to built upon, as well as claims that the band prohibits members from working on outside projects.
He also claimed that “heavy drinking, escalating arguments and repeated public disputes created a very disruptive atmosphere for everyone” during the first few days of the South American tour, claiming that he witnessed “heated exchanges” between Federoff and Šmerda, including in front of fans gathered for autographs in a hotel lobby. The post included other personal details about the couple as well as praise for the band’s management team at The Oracle, who he said have been, “nothing short of wonderful. Caring and understanding, relinquishing commissions to make tours work and working closely with the band to deliver us some amazing opportunities.”
In the follow-up statement on Monday (Sept. 1) Filth (born Daniel Lloyd Davey), also addressed the claims of “theft” and “exploitation” Šmerda made against the band and its management. “These allegations are false and damaging. We maintain clear records that show otherwise, and any dispute will be dealt with properly, not through trial by social media,” he said; at press time spokespeople for the band had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on the split or Filth’s statement.
The singer then got personal, noting that both Federoff and Šmerda are aware that his mother is “currently battling stage 4 cancer — a fight that takes all her strength. She has seen the wave of online attacks aimed at me, and it has only added to her distress. Whatever else is said, I hope we can all agree that dragging families into this storm is a cruelty none of us should wish on another.”
Filth said that, despite all the rancor, he wishes the couple well. “We shared great times together, and I’ll always be grateful for those memories. But I won’t let unfounded slander define this band or diminish the work we’ve put into it,” he wrote.
Šmerda took several shots at his former band just days after Federoff announced her departure from the British black metal group in the midst of their South American tour. “I ask you to please respect my wife and myself in this transitional period. I am indeed leaving Cradle of Filth at the end of this current tour, and the reasons behind this are conclusions my wife and I came together at long before this week. We simply do not feel like Cradle can provide for our future, and in fact hinders it,” Šmerda wrote on Facebook on Tuesday (Aug. 26). “Among other reasons it is a lot of work for relatively low pay, the stress is quite high, and we haven’t felt for a while like this band actually prioritizing/caring about members. It has been years of unprofessional behavior from people above us that led to our decision.”
Šmerda’s announcement came two days after Federoff announced her departure after less than three years. “It is with deep regret I share that for personal reasons I am unable to continue this tour and continue in general with Cradle of Filth,” wrote Federoff. “Please respect my privacy and my family’s privacy. I will answer no further questions. Be kind to my successor. I wish her and my now former bandmates well.”
Along with announcing his plan to depart after the tour wraps later this month, Šmerda, who joined the band in 2014, took a shot at CoF’s long-delayed collaboration with Ed Sheeran. “I have also asked all compositions of mine removed from upcoming releases including Ed Sheeran collab,” Šmerda wrote. “This song feels like foolish clown antics for me at this point anyways- first it was charity single for kids, then for profit single, then on next album, and now who knows and I just do not want to be involved anymore, no disrespect to Ed Sheeran.”
Cradle of Filth announced after Šmerda’s post that he would not be performing with the group on the remainder of the tour and would promptly be replaced. “Despite all attempts to illegally defame and derail the band, Cradle Of Filth WILL NOT cancel any of our South American shows, though fans will have to bear with us being a band with only one guitarist live, that is of course until Ashok’s temporary replacement is flown out to join the tour in a few days time,” the band said.
“Thank you for your understanding in this horrible matter, we are all in a state of shock over proceedings and will share our side to these unfortunate events in due course,” they added at the time. “Please, respect our decision to part with Ashok now rather than at the end of the tour and avoid speculation as more clarity on the situation will be provided.”