Cradle of Filth guitarist Marek “Ashok” Šmerda has confirmed that he will quit the band after its current Latin American tour, citing “low pay” and “stress,” among other reasons. His exit from the veteran metal act will follow that of his wife, keyboardist/backing singer Zoë M. Federoff, who just quit the band mid-tour due to “personal reasons.”

As reported on Monday (August 25th), Federoff exited Cradle of Filth in the middle of the tour, and was forced to shoot down speculation that she and Šmerda had marital problems. In fact, she mentioned that her husband would be leaving the band, as well.

In his own statement on Tuesday (August 26th), Šmerda explained the reason for the couple’s exit, while also requesting that his contributions be removed from any future releases, including C

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