In a brand new interview with the Everblack podcast, MY DYING BRIDE guitarist Andrew Craighan spoke concerning the band’s choice to recruit vocalist Mikko Kotamäki (SWALLOW THE SUN) to entrance MY DYING BRIDE for its stay appearances in 2025 after an obvious dispute with MY DYING BRIDE‘s founding singer Aaron Stainthorpe. Requested how the collaboration with Mikko took place, Andrew mentioned partly (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): ”Principally, it was pretty straightforward. All we did is ask — through Fb, of all issues… We simply advised him that we want a vocalist for these upcoming exhibits. We did not give him any ins and outs of what was going down. [We just asked], ‘Are you out there?’ And he simply mentioned, ‘Yeah, I am in. I will do it. No matter you need, I will do it.’ And we’re, like, ‘Fucking hell. That was straightforward.’ He then flew over to England a few weeks later and we rehearsed and it was straightforward. And we thought, ‘That is straightforward.’ In order that was just about it.”
Andrew continued: “After we received him in rehearsal and we had been taking part in among the older stuff, he simply knew [the songs]. There was simply no drama. And we had been, like, ‘That is gonna be all proper. He is aware of the songs.’ Now, do not get me improper — he does not sing fairly like Aaron does or would, however what he is executed is completed absolute honesty to the albums, however together with his nuances, as an instance, his type of traits, however not shedding something, or something in any respect, really.”
Craighan additionally talked a couple of doable follow-up to MY DYING BRIDE‘s newest album, “A Mortal Binding”, which got here out in April 2024 through Nuclear Blast Data. He mentioned: “We’re all the time writing. Nicely, I am all the time writing. We had been in somewhat mini studio just lately in Huddersfield. It is an excellent place known as Vibration, and we put some new stuff collectively there only for enjoyable. And we we’re simply type of toying with concepts of the place we wanna go subsequent. I imply, it’s going to nonetheless be us, after all; we’re not gonna be breaking out into any unusual hip-hop or something like that.
“We have nothing to lose — we have actually nothing to lose at this stage — so we’re type of damned when you do, damned when you do not,” Andrew defined about MY DYING BRIDE‘s new materials. “So we’re considering of possibly even going again to, say, bringing again among the early demise metallic stuff off the primary album. Possibly do one other ‘[The] Barghest [O’ Whitby]’ the place we intentionally write a music so you may’t have a B-side as a result of it is half-hour lengthy and we do not like B-sides…
“However, yeah, I am definitely all the time writing, and I’ve received loads of concepts,” he added. “And there is some riffs that did not fairly squeeze on to the final album that for some purpose simply did not make it on that we will all the time use these to springboard the following session of writing. So, quick reply is sure, we’re writing. There’s nothing full — possibly bits of three songs. However I would not wanna play it to anyone proper now as a result of it is too quickly.”
Final month, Andrew spoke in additional element about MY DYING BRIDE‘s choice to recruit Mikko, telling Metalirium: “Regardless of all the issues, the band was keen and able to carry out the remaining exhibits in 2024, however, sadly, there was no keen singer. The band solely found this on the final minute, which led to the cancelation. On condition that the album had simply been launched, the band was not ready to be sidelined. Consequently, a gathering was organized to debate the opportunity of a alternative. Mikko was the unanimous first alternative.”
As for Aaron‘s present standing with MY DYING BRIDE, Andrew mentioned: “As Aaron has, in fact, distanced himself from the band, we’re solely conscious of his actions by social media and on-line interviews. The band contacted him in March 2025 to investigate about his intentions with MY DYING BRIDE, however he has not responded. We first realized by social media that he was on a hiatus from MDB. Though he states on-line that he’s nonetheless a part of the band, he has not engaged with us since April 2024. So, in response to your query, the band doesn’t know what his plans with MDB are.”
Kotamäki has already performed three exhibits with MY DYING BRIDE in Europe, on the Rockmaraton Fesztivál in Hungary, the Pit Of Metallic in Slovakia and on the Darkish River competition in Finland.
Throughout a current look on the Iblis Manifestations podcast, Stainthorpe said about his present standing with MY DYING BRIDE: “Nicely, the truth is, the very last thing I heard was they’re writing new materials as effectively now, which is fascinating. I’ve not heard from Andrew for over a 12 months. And as me and him are the one founder members left… And we by no means had a supervisor. Me and Andrew managed as finest we may for years and years and years. There was just one stint after we practically received a supervisor — Ronnie James Dio‘s ex-wife, funnily sufficient. That was a protracted, very long time in the past. So me and Andrew figured, ‘Nicely, we may in all probability do it.’ So we had a go of it, after which we had this huge bust-up — I am unable to even keep in mind when it was now, a 12 months in the past, a 12 months and a half. And I believed, ‘We’ll let it die down a bit, and after we come to our senses, we’ll get across the desk, thrash out our variations and reignite the band.’ After which I noticed they had been gigging with out me. So I believed, clearly there is not any communication then. So, what do I do? I will simply preserve doing what I do till there’s some communication. And there nonetheless hasn’t been. So I am getting on with my life. I am not gonna sit there and stew and watch for issues to occur. I am gonna crack on and keep a busy schedule. However I’ve no thought who they’re gonna use within the studio, in the event that they do a brand new album. I do not even know if there is a document deal anymore, ‘trigger all the things’s gone pear formed at Nuclear Blast. I do not even know if Nuclear Blast is working as a full document label anymore. I’ve heard all types of bizarre tales. And I do know for a incontrovertible fact that the man I used to talk with at Nuclear Blast, he isn’t there anymore. So over the past couple of years there’s been large, large adjustments. So I do not even know if MY DYING BRIDE have a deal. And in the event that they do, I do not know the place that leaves me. I’ve not left the band, and I have not been kicked out, so I do not perceive the place we’re gonna go. I do not know what the longer term is. However having been a founder member and within the band for 35 years, I am not leaving. In the event that they wanna do issues with out me, effectively, good luck to ’em.”
When Iblis Manifestations host Shayan famous that “it seems like fairly an advanced state of affairs” in mild of the truth that a authorized MY DYING BRIDE partnership exists between Aaron and Andrew, Stainthorpe concurred. “Yeah. And it will solely get extra difficult,” he mentioned. “I do not absolutely perceive it. You’d hope and picture that as a founder member who hasn’t left, I might have some authority by some means, nevertheless it appears not. So I do not actually know. I am in all probability gonna have to hunt authorized recommendation sooner or later. Clearly, I did not need to, and I do not need to, but when a document comes out, a MY DYING BRIDE document comes out, and I am not on it, however I am nonetheless formally the singer, I do not know legally what I am speculated to do. So sooner or later, sadly, it appears like I might need to hunt authorized recommendation, which on this nation we’ve the musicians’ union, so it is not an issue. They have all of the specialists. And I do know some folks fairly excessive up within the enterprise. So I’ve received folks with their finger on the heartbeat so I can chat with them and simply see what’s what. However I do not need to. I might simply somewhat preserve singing MY DYING BRIDE songs. However possibly I haven’t got a alternative with that.”
Aaron additionally clarified that his involvement together with his new band HIGH PARASITE, which launched its debut album, “Without end We Burn”, final September through Candlelight/Spinefarm, did not create any points with MY DYING BRIDE, regardless of fan hypothesis on the contrary. “Yeah, there was by no means gonna be a battle,” he defined. “MDB do about 15 gigs a 12 months, and [there is] typically three or 4 years between albums. I could possibly be in 10 bands and it would not have an effect on the scheduling of MY DYING BRIDE. I spoke to [HIGH PARASITE bassist/vocalist Danny] Tombs [Lambert] again within the day and I mentioned, ‘This is some MY DYING BRIDE gigs. Be certain that there is not any HIGH PARASITE [gigs] clashing, any clashing of any gigs in any respect.’ And he mentioned, ‘Completely positive. That won’t occur.’ And, effectively, it by no means even received that far, as a result of we had an enormous bust-up earlier than then, and the gigs received canceled anyway.
“You do not sacrifice the principle band on your smaller band,” Aaron continued. “That does not occur. Are you able to think about Lars Ulrich saying to METALLICA, ‘Are you aware what, guys? Can we cancel these huge gigs, ‘trigger me and my mates wanna fiddle on this different band?’ It does not work that approach. It does not occur like that. And it will be ridiculous to even suppose that. ‘Trigger I do know some folks suppose, ‘Oh, Aaron‘s concentrating extra on HIGH PARASITE than MY DYING BRIDE. So he sacrificed MY DYING BRIDE for HIGH PARASITE.’ You do not do issues like that. It is completely, completely ridiculous. And why would I? MY DYING BRIDE has been an absolute delight for me for 30-odd years. I am not gonna let that go. And I am definitely not gonna let one other, a smaller band batter it out the way in which. It does not work like that. Actually each musician I do know is in multiple band. It is simple. Anybody can do it. It is not a problem.”
Requested if he has been in contact with every other members of MY DYING BRIDE, Aaron mentioned: “I see Neil [Blanchett, guitar] each occasionally for a beer in Halifax. However zero communication with the others. They’ve all received my particulars.”
Pressed as as to if he has tried to succeed in out to the opposite members of MY DYING BRIDE because the “bust-up” occurred that he talked about earlier within the interview, Aaron mentioned: “There isn’t any level. There isn’t any level as a result of if they don’t seem to be contacting me, they do not need to. So it is pointless me chasing them. They’re doing what they wanna do and so they clearly wanna do it with out me.”
Aaron went on to say that he’s nonetheless holding out hope issues could possibly be ironed out between him and the opposite members of MY DYING BRIDE within the coming months.
“The rationale why I am not screaming and shouting is as a result of I genuinely suppose it is not over,” he mentioned. “If I knew it was undoubtedly over, then, yeah, I would be heartbroken. However I attempt to stay optimistic that by some means we will work stuff out. I do not see why we won’t. We’re not children. We’re not a gang. We are able to absolutely work one thing out. As a result of usually when bands break up up, there’s usually some type of monetary irregularity, somebody’s run off with all the cash, or there’s some infidelity — ‘You slept with my spouse’ or ‘you slept with my spouse.’ Bands break up up due to severe — one thing’s gone actually unhealthy, actually unhealthy. We have now none of that, which is why I feel we will get again collectively. However let’s have a look at.”
Requested what he would say to Andrew proper now if the guitarist was listening to the interview, Aaron mentioned: “Give us a hoop. Give us a hoop. It is not exhausting, is it?”