Lately there has been some confusion as to who the singer of MY DYING BRIDE is now. Fans still consider Aaron Stainthorpe as the band’s lead singer but the band announced a few months ago that SWALLOW THE SUN’s Mikko Kotamaki would be handling the vocals for their live shows.
Of great interest are Stainthorpe’s statements on the subject on the Iblis Manifestations podcast when asked about his involvement with the band now. Specifically, he said that despite being a founding member himself since 1990, there has been no communication for over a year with both co-founder Andrew Craighan and the other members.
“We had this big bust-up — I can’t even remember when it was now, a year ago, a year and a half. And I thought, ‘We’ll let it die down a bit, and when we come to our senses, we’ll get around the table, thrash out our differences and reignite the band.’ And then I saw they were gigging without me.
“So I thought, obviously there’s no communication then. So, what do I do? I’ll just keep doing what I do until there is some communication. And there still hasn’t been. So I’m getting on with my life. I’m not gonna sit there and stew and wait for things to happen. I’m gonna crack on and maintain a busy schedule. But I’ve no idea who they’re gonna use in the studio, if they do a new album. I don’t even know if there’s a record deal anymore, ’cause everything’s gone pear shaped at Nuclear Blast. I don’t even know if Nuclear Blast is operating as a full record label anymore. I’ve heard all kinds of weird stories.
“And I know for a fact that the guy I used to chat with at Nuclear Blast, he’s not there anymore. So over the last couple of years there’s been massive, massive changes. So I don’t even know if My Dying Bride have a deal. And if they do, I don’t know where that leaves me.”
The band is currently working on the follow up to 2024’s “A Mortal Binding”, so we’ll find out about Stainthorpe’s involvement in that soon. However, he considers himself a member of MY DYING BRIDE still and has mentioned that he’s not leaving.
“I’ve not left the band, and I haven’t been kicked out, so I don’t understand where we’re gonna go. I don’t know what the future is. But having been a founder member and in the band for 35 years, I’m not leaving. If they wanna do things without me, well, good luck to ’em.”
