It’s been a wild few days in the Cradle of Filth camp, with members quitting and getting fired, and then some serious allegations of improper business management, and fans are justifiably wondering what the hell is going on with the longtime extreme metal band.So, it all started on Sunday (Aug. 24) when keyboardist and co-vocalist Zoe Marie Federoff suddenly exited the band in the middle of their South American tour, citing “personal reasons” as the explanation. After people began to speculate, she offered some clarification, noting that she and her husband, Cradle of Filth guitarist Marek “Ashok” Šmerda, had “already planning to leave the band later this year.”In response to Federoff’s post, Cradle of Filth founder and frontman, Dani Filth, issued a statement, calling Federoff’s exit “a strange turn of events” and adding, “We, of course, wish her all the best for the future. And we as a band will continue onward and upward as always,” then revealing that they already had her replacement selected. Cradle of Filth’s South American Tour is still happening“In life, one cannot always foresee what the future holds for us,” he added. “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.”You’d think that would be the end of it, but oh no, it only gets messier.In his own statement, Ashok explained that he planned to finish the South American tour, but stated that he and Federoff “simply do not feel like Cradle can provide for our future, and in fact hinders it.”TURKU, FINLAND – AUGUST 13: Dani Filth of Cradle of Filth performs on stage during the Knotfest at Artukainen Event Park on August 13, 2022 in Turku, Finland. (Photo by Venla Shalin/Redferns)“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,” he added, as reported by Metal Injection. “It has been years of unprofessional behavior from people above us that led to our decision.”Ashok also stated that he requested his musical contributions to the forthcoming Cradle of Filth music be removed, and made some pretty critical comments about the long-anticipated collaboration the band did with Ed Sheeran.Ed Sheeran catching strays over his Cradle of Filth collab was quite unexpectedResponding yet again, Dani Filth issued a statement announcing Cradle of Filth had fired Ashok. “It is with a grave heart that Cradle Of Filth officially announce the firing of guitarist Marek ‘Ashok’ Šmerda from the band, effective immediately,” the black metal vocalist wrote in a social media post on August 26. “Despite all attempts to illegally defame and derail the band, Cradle Of Filth WILL NOT cancel any of our South American shows,” he added. “The rest of the band are cool, even if taken aback, and accusations toward management… are completely unjust and unfounded.”But… it doesn’t end there.Following the announcement that Ashok was fired, Federoff hit back, issuing a lengthy statement which criticized Filth for cultivating a “threatening and abusive” atmosphere and alleging that he “constantly exploits us for very low wages yet also demands exclusivity to Cradle’s schedule.”The bulk of her ire was aimed at the band’s management, however, whom she did not name but accused of being “dishonest, manipulative, and tries to take money that belongs to us with no contract between us session musicians and him.” You can read her full statement here.Look, as a Cradle of Filth fan going back two decades, it’s a bummer to see all this playing out so publicly, and hopefully they’re able to get it resolved cause, honestly, I’m fucking DESPERATE to hear that Ed Sheeran collab.The post Cradle of Filth Firings, Contract Disputes, and Manipulation Allegations: What the Hell is Happening? appeared first on VICE.