Aaron Stainthorpe says two unreleased My Dying Bride songs are sitting in limbo as tensions between the long-running doom metal band and its frontman continue.
Speaking to The Razor’s Edge, Stainthorpe confirmed the tracks were recorded during sessions for 2024’s A Mortal Binding but left off the final album. “We always record more songs than we actually need, so we’ve got something left over for an EP,” he explained. “When we did 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.”
The singer says the two unheard songs remain shelved partly due to issues at the band’s label, Nuclear Blast. “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,” he admitted. “But there are two songs floating around in limbo at the moment.”
As for completely new material, Stainthorpe says writing is underway — but personal disputes are blocking his involvement. “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.”
When asked if he’s hopeful for reconciliation with his bandmates, Stainthorpe pointed to the group’s legacy: “I’d like to think so, because there’s 30 years of really, really good work. And a band as respectful of that shouldn’t just wither and die. So we need to work on fixing that.”
The split became public earlier this year when the band announced Swallow the Sun vocalist Mikko Kotamäki would front My Dying Bride live throughout 2025. The move followed a breakdown in communication between Stainthorpe and the rest of the group.
In a separate interview with Metalirium, guitarist and co-founder Andrew Craighan said the band only discovered at the last minute that Stainthorpe would not perform the remaining 2024 shows, leading to cancellations. “Given that the album had just been released, the band was not prepared to be sidelined,” he said. “As a result, a meeting was organized to discuss the possibility of a replacement. Mikko was the unanimous first choice.”
Craighan claims Stainthorpe has not responded to band enquiries since March 2025 and has not engaged with them since April 2024, despite maintaining publicly that he is still a member. “We are only aware of his activities through social media and online interviews,” Craighan said.
Kotamäki has already taken the stage with My Dying Bride at several European festivals this summer, including Rockmaraton in Hungary, Pit Of Metal in Slovakia, and Finland’s Dark River. For now, the fate of the two unreleased tracks — and Stainthorpe‘s place in the band — remains unclear.
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