Ending months of speculation and public uncertainty, British doom metal pioneers My Dying Bride have officially announced their separation from iconic, founding vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe. In a pained but resolute statement released on Thursday, October 9, the band described the “eerily abandoned state we suddenly found ourselves in” and confirmed their “collective decision to move forward without him.”
The “painful” decision is the definitive end to one of doom metal’s most iconic partnerships and comes after a long period of public silence and conflicting statements from both parties.
The band’s full statement reads:
“My Dying Bride have decided to part ways with vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe.”
“Please understand that this decision does not come lightly, hence our initial and painful silence while we gathered our thoughts and carefully considered our response to the disengaged, eerily abandoned state we suddenly found ourselves in.”
“Our collective decision to move forward without him is not something we thought we would ever be forced to say, but to ensure a continued legacy for what we hold dear to our hearts, we simply have to move past this. Whilst change can be difficult, we are doing our best to bring this new chapter forward with powerful positivity.”
“My Dying Bride are not on hiatus, we were never on hiatus.”
“However, we do genuinely wish Aaron all the luck in the world in his new solo endeavours.”
The announcement is the tragic conclusion to a saga of apparent miscommunication. In a July interview, guitarist Andrew Craighan stated that the band had not heard from Stainthorpe since early 2024 and only learned through social media that he considered himself to be on a “hiatus.”
For his part, Stainthorpe stated earlier this year on a podcast that he believed he had “not left the band, and [hadn’t] been kicked out,” and was hoping to eventually “thrash out [their] differences.”
With this definitive new statement, the uncertainty has come to a shocking and sad end. The band has made it clear that they intend to continue under the My Dying Bride name, while Stainthorpe will presumably focus on his solo work. The split marks the end of a monumental era for British doom metal.
