Aaron Stainthorpe Remains Hopeful He Can Patch Things Up with My Dying Bride
There’s been a lot of hubbub lately about vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe and his status within My Dying Bride. Following some internal disputes, he’d been described in recent interviews from his former bandmates as having “distanced himself from the band”, thus forcing the rest of the outfit to recruit a new singer so they could fulfill their live commitments.
In a recent interview with The Razor’s Edge (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), Stainthorpe was asked if there was any chance we’d all get new My Dying Bride music, despite having been replaced by Swallow the Sun vocalist Mikko Kotamäki for all of the band’s live appearances. From what we can gather in his response, it sounds like there’s some pre-written material but it’s not looking good for any new shit.
“Well, weirdly, when we did the last album — we always record more songs than we actually need, so we’ve got something left over for an EP. So when we did [2024’s] A Mortal Binding, again, there was a couple of songs left over for an EP. And then we had a big argument. But those songs are still somewhere, I think probably with Mark Mynett, the engineer. And so there’s two songs that no one’s ever heard — except, obviously, My Dying Bride — waiting for the go-ahead. But I know there’s been turmoil at [My Dying Bride’s record label] Nuclear Blast as well. All my contacts have gone, so I really don’t know what’s happening at Nuclear Blast, and I’m not entirely sure what’s happening with My Dying Bride, but there are two songs floating around in limbo at the moment. Regarding brand new My Dying Bride songs, well, I know they’re writing new stuff at the moment, but we haven’t got the argument out of the way yet. So until that’s sorted, I won’t be singing for them.”
This ongoing issue between Stainthorpe and the rest of My Dying Bride has effectively put a 30 year working relationship on ice. Given how personal things likely are between Stainthorpe and the other remaining founding member of My Dying Bride, guitarist Andrew Craighan, it’s got to be stressful to try to find some common ground at this moment.
With all that in mind, Stainthorpe remains hopeful that everything will get figured out and he can get back to the band he helped create.
“Well, I’d like to think [we can patch things up], because there’s 30 years of really, really good, really good work. And a band as respectful of that shouldn’t just wither and die. So we need to work on fixing that.”
Those comments sort of contradict what Craighan said in an interview that ran last month in Metallrium. In that chat, Craighan categorized Stainthorpe’s interest in My Dying Bride as tepid at best. He’s gone so far as to say Stainthorpe was actively avoiding the band altogether.
“As Aaron has, in truth, distanced himself from the band, we are only aware of his activities through social media and online interviews. The band contacted him in March 2025 to enquire about his intentions with My Dying Bride, but he has not responded. We first learned through social media that he was on a hiatus from MDB. Although he states online that he is still part of the band, he has not engaged with us since April 2024. So, in response to your question, the band does not know what his plans with MDB are.”
So as it stands, it seems like the future for MDB is still very much up in the air. But with Stainthrope seeking a more conciliatory future for himself and the band, maybe there’s a chance at a reunion when it’s all said and done. Only time will tell.
