Cradle of Filth Fire Guitarist After Recent Statements, Dani Filth Posts New Message

Cradle of Filth have now officially fired guitarist Marek "Ashok" Smerda after he and his wife Zoe Marie Federoff issued statements laying out their beef with the band's management and sharing the contracts on social media they were allegedly asked to sign.

Federoff exited the band earlier this week in the midst of the band's current South American trek. Within her comments about the split, it was revealed that both she and her husband Ashok had intended to leave the band at the end of the current tour, but that she felt the need to exit now.

A day later, Ashok Smerda confirmed in a statement that he too would be leaving but intended to finish out the tour with the group. But in his statement, he laid out some of the gripes that he and Federoff had about how the group was being run. Then shortly after Smerda's statement was issued, the couple released a more detailed statement laying out specific behaviors and instances of issues with management and they shared a contract they had been asked to sign.

Cradle of Filth leader Dani Filth has now issued a statement that the band has officially fired Ashok Smerda effective immediately rather than finishing out their current run with the guitarist.

What Did Dani Filth Say About the Firing of Ashok Smerda and Management Allegations?

Much like with keyboardist Zoe Marie Federoff earlier in the week, Dani Filth issued a statement on the exit of guitarist Marek "Ashok" Smerda after his revealed exit plans.

But as the couple began to share more details as they week continued about their reasons for leaving and gripes with the band, the tone of Filth's exit statement carried a little more weight.

The singer stated that the group was in a "state of shock" over the accusations and shared his stance that "accusations toward management, who work very closely with me and the band are completely unjust and unfounded."

His statement, shared on the Cradle of Filth Instagram, reads as follows:

It is with a grave heart that Cradle Of Filth officially announce the firing of guitarist Marek ‘Ashok’ Smerda from the band, effective immediately.

Despite all attempts to illegally defame and derail the band, Cradle Of Filth WILL NOT cancel any of our South American shows, though fans will have to bear with us being a band with only one guitarist live, that is of course until Ashok’s temporary replacement is flown out to join the tour in a few days time.

Thank you for your understanding in this horrible matter, we are all in a state of shock over proceedings and will share our side to these unfortunate events in due course. Please, respect our decision to part with Ashok now rather than at the end of the tour and avoid speculation as more clarity on the situation will be provided.

The rest of the band are cool, even if taken aback, and accusations toward management, who work very closely with me and the band are completely unjust and unfounded.

Patience is a virtue and the truth will always out.

Thank you once again fellow Filthlings and we look forward to the rest of ‘The Screaming Of The Américas’ tour here in Uruguay and beyond.

Your fiend, Dani

What Did Zoe Marie Federoff Initially Say About Her Departure?

In her initial posting on her social media accounts, Federoff kept her exit statement brief and without much detail.

"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. 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 shared.

But she would later return to Facebook to clarify to fans that had been speculating that her husband was not cheating on her, that she and Ashok were intending to leave the band after the tour and that she wanted fans to support Kelsey Peters who would be stepping in as backing vocalist on the tour in her absence.

How Did Dani Filth Respond to Zoe Federoff's Exit?

Initially there was no indication of inner turmoil and Filth's response to the move seemed pretty standard. "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,' said within his statement.

The full post can be viewed below.

What Did Ashok Smerda Say About His Cradle of Filth Exit?

Things started to get a little bit more contentious when Ashok Smerda followed his wife's posting about her exit a day later.

In his post, he asked for respect for his wife on social media and confirmed that the couple had intended to leave the band at the end of their touring.

He then offered, "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."

READ MORE: Dani Filth Gets Engaged Onstage At Download 2025

He also revealed that he'd ask for all his contributions to be removed from future recordings (including the long anticipated Cradle of Filth-Ed Sheeran collaboration), but added that he intended on concluding the current tour run with his bandmates.

His statement, posted to his Instagram, can be viewed below:

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

What Else Did Zoe Federoff + Ashok Smerda Say About Cradle of Filth?

The couple didn't stop after their respective exit statements. They followed with a lengthy joint statement that laid out their issues with the band's management and served as a warning to prospective replacements to read the contract they were signing.

Among their complaints were low wages and the inability to work outside the band to supplement their income. The two also disclosed the supposed contract they had been asked to sign within their statement.

Their comments, shared to social media, can be read 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.

As stated, within the same day that Ashok's exit statement and the couple's collective statement about Cradle of Filth management began to circulate online, Dani Filth issued his statement confirming that Ashok had been fired effective immediately.

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.