Second Cradle of Filth Member to Quit, Contract Photos Posted

Cradle of Filth guitarist Marek "Ashok" Smerda has now issued a statement confirming his upcoming exit from the band after his wife, keyboardist Zoe Marie Federoff, quit the band mid-tour a day prior.

In the process of addressing the current band lineup movements, he also took the time to call out those being critical of his wife on social media and spreading unfounded narratives about the couple.

Then after his initial statement, the couple issued a joint statement slamming Cradle of Filth over contractual issues within the band, accusing an unnamed individual and management of creating a "threatening and abusive" atmosphere, among other issues.

Photo proof of the contract they'd been offered was also shared, which can be seen further down the page.

What Did Ashok Smerda Say About His Wife + Cradle of Filth?

A day after Federoff went public with her statement, guitarist Ashok confirmed on Instagram that his wife's account that they were both planning to leave the band after their current tour was accurate. Federoff, however, exited early.

Ashok proceeded to lay out some of the issues that led them to arrive at the decision, but also revealed that he intended to remain with the Cradle of Filth through the end of their current tour.

He also made a request that his contributions to the long-awaited Cradle of Filth collaboration with Ed Sheeran be removed.

His full statement can be seen below.

Dear fans and friends,
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. 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.
I have also asked all compositions of mine removed from upcoming releases including Ed Sheeran collab. 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.
And meanwhile so many “brilliant” Internet brains trying to speculate on personal affairs between me and Zoe- just stop this, please. We are trying to start new chapter.
And I am going to finish this tour strong! For the fans and for my friends in this band and crew! It is my last ride with Cradle and I am proud to give it my best. I am sad to not share the stage with my wife these last times but I respect why she left and I am happy our friend Kelsey Peters has been given opportunity to shine.
This is all I have to say for now. Leave my wife alone. NEVER insult her or her choices in my presence… or else.

Within the comments on the post, Zoe Marie Federoff also weighed in with a comment of her own. She shared, "love you. Here’s to the future. Sic semper tyrannis"

The Couple Share Even More About Cradle of Filth, Warn Future Members of Contract

After issuing their statements about leaving the band, the guitarist and keyboardist offered a lengthy account of their experiences with the group that went into further detail about why they are leaving.

Within, they warn future members about the type of contract they'll have to sign, claiming the one they were offered recently was called "psychopathic" by the musicians' lawyer. They levy other accusations at Dani Filth (referring to him as "the frontman" but never directly by name), as well as the band's management.

Low wages were also to blame for the mutual exits (an alleged "25K" — the contract is in British pounds, but no clarification about what form of currency this refers to was made).

Their full comment can be viewed below.

A further statement on the departure of myself and Ashok from Cradle of Filth and a warning to our successors- READ THE CONTRACT.
We planned this transition out of Cradle of Filth months ago. Management is dishonest, manipulative and tries to take money that belongs to us with no contract between us session musicians and him. When I called them out on this attempted theft of album advance money from Screaming of the Valkyries, they called me "cancer" and "dead horse" and threatened to fire me. The frontman does nothing to stop them and hides behind them while they belittle and steal. We hold the frontman responsible for hiring this management and never advocating for his team, only himself. Other ex members try to tiptoe around this and only blame management management works for the frontman.
He might not get his hands dirty, but in the end, he directs them. The atmosphere he creates is threatening and abusive and constantly exploits us for very low wages yet also demands exclusivity to Cradle's schedule.
We do not make even the bare cost of living, yet we are told not to tour with other bands to supplement income. It is madness to keep people locked in poverty for the ego of one person.
We attach the contract they attempted to trap all session members in for a 25 percent raise (The first raise in 7 years.) Our lawyer called it the most psychopathic contract a session musician could ever be handed. We did not sign and made a decision to leave this year instead.
So- we left because we were being used and paid less than the cost of living, the environment is toxic and threatening and the toll this was all taking on our lives and our marriage grew too great. The health toll it took on us also led me to miscarry our first pregnancy on tour. We chose to leave to save ourselves and create a better future for our family. Now that we are out- the sun is shining, our family has hope and we hope every session musician who thinks about joining Cradle reads this contract and talks to a lawyer.
Good luck to whoever tries to make it work next. And remember- we all know the guy who says "All" his exes are crazy- are you sure ALL of them? Or could the problem be you, 40+ people later?
Farewell to the fans and our fellow session members and crew. They were the only part of this that remain good memories.

The two then disclosed photo copies of their contract.

Loudwire has reached out to the band's label for comment.

How Long Had Ashok Smerda Been With Cradle of Filth?

The guitarist first joined Cradle of Filth in 2014 and his first appearance on an album was 2015's Hammer of the Witches. He appeared on four albums from the group including this year's The Screaming of the Valkyries.

As for his wife, Federoff joined in 2022. The Screaming of the Valkyries was her first and only studio album with the band.

The two got engaged in January of 2024.

What Did Zoe Marie Federoff First Say About Quitting Cradle of Filth?

Initially Zoe Marie Federoff shared her decision to leave Cradle of Filth on social media. "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," she commented.

She added, "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. At least, like Roy Khan said over a decade ago, God was there after all."

She then issued a separate post several hours later that read,

Couple clarifying points since so many people decided to speculate in the nastiest possible ways.
Ashok isn’t cheating. While the turmoil of being in the band has taken its toll on us, we remain very much certain that we love each other. Please be kind to my husband. He is a good man.
We were already planning to leave the band later this year. Certain events have sped that up for me.
At this time there is nothing further I wish to clarify and I’d appreciate keeping the ugly rumors off my page and out of my inbox. Please enjoy the remaining shows on this tour and give a lot of love to Kelsey, who is one of the greatest singers I’ve ever been privileged to hear. You’ll love her.

What Did Dani Filth Initially Say About Zoe Marie Federoff's Exit?

In a post shared to Cradle of Filth's socials after Zoe Marie Federoff's initial statement, Dani Filth issued a statement of his own.

It reads as follows:

A strange turn of events have manifested out here on tour for CRADLE OF FILTH in South America.
Our keyboardist/backing singer Zoe Smerda has chosen to leave the band mid-tour, effective immediately.
We, of course, wish her all the best for the future and we as a band will continue onward and upward as always with a replacement singer here in Kelsey Peters, one of the very talented CREWDLE members.
In life, one cannot always foresee what the future holds for us, but we will remain ever-professional and continue on with 'The Screaming Of The Americas' concerts for our fans without allowing any of this to sully our onward trajectory.
So, our South and Central American brethren, we will see you at the next spat of relentless shows.
The shows have already been incredible in Brazil and we are just so exceptionally appreciative of your massive and passionate attendance, my friends and fiends alike.
Long live the FILTH!

Cradle of Filth in 2025

The band is currently in the midst of a South American tour that carries over into Mexico next month. In mid-November, they'll kick off a European tour that will finish out their touring year on Dec. 7 in Antwerp, Belgium.

For all Cradle of Filth tour dates and ticketing info, be sure to visit their website.