Cradle of Filth is experiencing some lineup changes, and Ed Sheeran has found himself caught in the middle of the drama.
On Sunday, keyboardist and backing vocalist Zoe Marie Federoff announced her departure from the band while they are on tour in South America. Just two days later, guitarist Marek “Ashok” Šmerda, who is married to Federoff, revealed that he would also be leaving Cradle but would finish the tour first.
Šmerda expressed concerns about the band’s future, stating, “We simply do not feel like Cradle can provide for our future, and in fact hinders it.” He mentioned the high stress and low pay as major factors in their decision.
He also addressed the band’s long-awaited collaboration with Ed Sheeran, which started after Sheeran shared his love for metal in a 2021 interview. Šmerda requested that his contributions be removed from the upcoming releases, including the Sheeran collaboration. He described the project as feeling like “foolish clown antics” and expressed his desire to step away from it, adding, “no disrespect to Ed Sheeran.”
Federoff supported Šmerda’s comments, describing the Cradle environment as “toxic and threatening,” even revealing that she suffered a miscarriage while on tour.
In response, Cradle frontman Dani Filth announced that Šmerda has been fired and will not complete the remaining tour dates. He expressed shock over the situation and promised to share more details soon.
