My Dying Bride Announce First-Ever Show With Different Singer

My Dying Bride have announced that, for the first time ever, they will be performing live without singer Aaron Stainthorpe.

The band, despite releasing their new album A Mortal Binding earlier this year, had entered a hiatus due to internal disagreements. Stainthorpe and guitarist Andrew Craighan, My Dying Bride’s last two remaining founders, were at odds and now it appears a new path forward has opened.

The doom metal legends have shared a statement, revealing that Swallow the Sun vocalist Mikko Kotamäki will be fronting the band for live purposes in 2025.

The first show with the 39-year-old Kotamäki at the helm will be at the Rockmaraton Festival in Hungary during the first week of July.

See the band’s full statement below.

My Dying Bride are thrilled to announce their return to the stage in 2025!

After a small, ‘hiatus’, live shows are set to recommence, featuring a very special guest on vocals:

MIKKO KOTAMÄKI from @swallowthesunofficial

We warmly welcome Mikko, who has graciously joined the MDB live setup, enabling us to bring both new and classic songs back to the stage.

With this year’s monumental album A Mortal Binding now well into establishing itself as a Doom Metal success, the band are at last ready to promote it live along with seasoned classics of course.

The band is excited to announce one show already with more to come:

@rockmaraton Fesztivál 03-05.07.25 – HU, Dunaújváros

Stay tuned for further announcements—and let’s also give a big welcome to Mikko!

READ MORE: The Five Best Crooners in Metal, Chosen by Aaron Stainthorpe (High Parasite, My Dying Bride)

About My Dying Bride’s Hiatus

Earlier this year, My Dying Bride made the decision to cancel all 2024 shows and the news came right before the release of their latest record.

Stainthorpe, who also released Forever We Burn, the debut album by his new death-pop band High Parasite, later confirmed that problems within the group had created an impasse.

In September, he told Devolution magazine in an interview that My Dying Bride have “worked tirelessly” without a manager and that he and Craighan had been handling those responsibilities themselves.

“And me and Andy, we’ve argued the toss like a married couple for years and years and years — artwork, lyrics. I normally pretty much get away with lyrics, but artwork particularly. And I think we’re both becoming grumpy old men. We’ve just got a bit loggerheaded like that,” the vocalist explained.

Instead, the two came to a decision. “We said, ‘Let’s take a break before we have a massive bust-up.’ Even though it’s a rubbish time to take a break because the album is just coming out. But everyone just thought, ‘You two just take your breather. Take some time away. It happens to loads of bands. And then come back,'” Stainthorpe continued.

Meanwhile, Stainthorpe has touted his desire to perform more often live and intends to do so with High Parasite.

Kotamäki figures to be quite busy as well, not only fronting My Dying Bride but staying active with Swallow the Sun, who also put out a new album (Shining) this year.