Almost four decades ago, the iconic English goth band My Dying Bride was formed.  Andrew Craighan, drummer Rick Miah, vocalist Aaron Stainthorp  and guitarist Calvin Robertshaw came together to form the group in 1990. Now, 35 years later, My Dying Bride announced that their member Aaron Stainthrope would be stepping down as the singer of the band. 

Today, October 9th, My Dying Bride released this statement online:

“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.”

Less than a year ago, My Dying Bride recruited singer Mikko Kotamäki (Swallow the Sun to front the band for its live appearances in 2025, as reported by Blabbermouth .

Guitarist Andrew Craighan was asked by Metalirium how the collaboration with Mikko came about. He said, “Despite all the problems, the band was willing and ready to perform the remaining shows in 2024, but, unfortunately, there was no willing singer. The band only discovered this at the very last minute, which led to the cancellation. Given that [My Dying Bride’s latest] album [‘A Mortal Binding’], had just been released, the band was not prepared to be sidelined. As a result, a meeting was organized to discuss the possibility of a replacement. Mikko was the unanimous first choice.”

Asked if he has been in touch with any other members of My Dying Bride, Stainthrope said: “I see Neil [Blanchett, guitar] every once in a while for a beer in Halifax. But zero communication with the others. They’ve all got my details.”