The guitarist of Cradle of Filth, 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 addressing the current band lineup changes, he also took the time to call out those being critical of his wife on social media and spreading unfounded narratives about the couple.

Following his initial statement, the couple issued a joint statement criticizing 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 were offered was also shared, which can be seen further down the page.

Key Insights from Ashok Smerda Regarding His Wife and Cradle of Filth

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

Ashok proceeded to outline some of the issues that led them to this decision but also revealed that he intended to remain with Cradle of Filth through the end of their current tour.

He also requested 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 during 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 Shares More About Cradle of Filth and Warn Future Members About Contracts

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

Within their account, they warn future members about the type of contract they’ll have to sign, claiming that the one they were offered recently was called “psychopathic” by their lawyer. They made other accusations against Dani Filth (referring to him as “the frontman” but never directly by name), as well as the band’s management.

Low wages were also cited as a reason for their mutual exits (an alleged “25K” — while the contract is in British pounds, 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 one person’s ego.

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 it 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; 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 photocopies 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; 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 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:

A couple clarifying points since so many people decided to speculate in the nastiest possible ways.

Ashok isn’t cheating. While 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 later this year; certain events have sped that up for me.

At this time there is nothing further I wish to clarify; I’d appreciate keeping ugly rumors off my page and out of my inbox. Please enjoy remaining shows on this tour; give a lot of love to Kelsey, who is one of 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 on Cradle of Filth’s socials after Zoe Marie Federoff’s initial statement, Dani Filth issued a statement of his own:

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 mid-tour effective immediately.

We wish her all the best for future endeavors; as a band we will continue onward with replacement singer Kelsey Peters, one very talented member from CREWDLE.

In life one cannot always foresee what future holds for us; however we will remain ever-professional continuing ‘The Screaming Of The Americas’ concerts without allowing any issues sully our trajectory forward.

So South and Central American brethren; we will see you at next series relentless shows!

The shows have already been incredible in Brazil; we are exceptionally appreciative your massive passionate attendance!

READ MORE: Dani Filth Gets Engaged Onstage At Download 2025

Cradle of Filth in 2025

The band is currently amidst South American tour carrying over into Mexico next month; mid-November they’ll kick off European tour finishing touring year December 7 in Antwerp Belgium.
For all Cradle of Filth tour dates ticketing info visit their website.