MY DYING BRIDE's ANDREW CRAIGHAN says things are going "great" with new singer MIKKO KOTAMÄKI: “This is how we'll continue until we're done”
09-09-2025
In a new interview with Australia’s Heavy, MY DYING BRIDE guitarist Andrew Craighan spoke about the band’s decision to recruit vocalist Mikko Kotamäki (SWALLOW THE SUN) to front MY DYING BRIDE for its live appearances in 2025 after an apparent dispute with MY DYING BRIDE‘s founding singer Aaron Stainthorpe. Asked how the collaboration with Mikko came about, Andrew said: “Well, he was chosen because we found ourselves vocalist-less, if that is such a word. I have to admit, we didn’t know quite how deeply Aaron‘s solo aspirations were — let’s politely put it like that — which I kind of understand. People, you get to a certain age and you wanna make things happen and you wanna make ’em happen quick. But obviously it had an effect on us. We were left without a vocalist. And we weren’t ready for it. We didn’t have a plan — well, mainly because we didn’t know. And so we found ourselves in disarray, but we were sort of shocked at this. So once we’d got over the shock and we realized we really didn’t have a vocalist — (Aaron‘s) got his new band, and it sounds like he’s putting another band together as well to enhance his solo career — we had to find a vocalist. And I think it was either Neil (Blanchett, rhythm guitar) and Shaun (MacGowan, keyboards, violin) or the combination of Neil, Dan (Mullins, drums) and Sean, who were very fond of SWALLOW THE SUN and they know Mikko‘s history, ’cause I think SWALLOW THE SUN, very early in their early career, were influenced by MY DYING BRIDE. So he knows us. He knows what MY DYING BRIDE is, he knows what the ethos is and he knows what it’s about. He won’t have any delusions of grandeur because he knows where MY DYING BRIDE come from and where we presently are. And then the most important thing, we looked at his vocal range and his death metal’s different to the way Aaron would sing it, but his vocal range is very much what we needed. So we thought, ‘We’ll try that guy first.’ And he just said yes. And it was that simple. And then within a couple of weeks of him saying yes, we flew him across to Halifax and we had a meal and a meeting and we did some rehearsals and it was just easy. It was really quite something.”
Elaborating on how Kotamäki has been accepted by his new MY DYING BRIDE bandmates and fans, Andrew said: “He’s got a very dry sense of humor, a phenomenally dry sense of humor, but he is very, very professional, to the point where we, we were quite shocked. We were, like, ‘Oh, fuckin’ hell. We’re gonna have to get professional now. This is what professionalism looks like.’ We weren’t ready for any of that. So, yeah, we all pulled the socks up a little bit. And it just works. We’ve just done three shows. We did one in Slovakia, one in Hungary, and one in Finland, in his hometown — well, not his hometown, but his home country at least — to great success. We had some equipment issues, but nothing musically or personality-wise. We all got on. We had a great time. And despite the shock of people… They knew Mikko was singing, and I’m not sure what they expected, but when he walks out on stage, they cheer. The joke in the band is that I’ve been in this band for X amount of years and they don’t fucking cheer for me.”
He added: “No, it’s been great, I have to admit. But it was strange beginnings, and we weren’t really sure what was gonna come out, but it’s been great. So this is how we’ll continue until we’re done.”
In an interview with The Razor’s Edge, held lost month, vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe was asked if we can expect to hear any new MY DYING BRIDE material, eight months after it was announced that the renowned English doom metal band had recruited SWALLOW THE SUN vocalist Mikko Kotamäki to front MY DYING BRIDE for its live appearances in 2025. Aaron, who co-founded MY DYING BRIDE in 1990 with guitarist Andrew Craighan, responded: “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.”
Asked if he is hopeful that he will be able to repair his relationship with his MY DYING BRIDE bandmates, Aaron said: “Well, I’d like to think so, 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.”
In an interview with the Brutally Delicious podcast earlier this yeas, Aaron Stainthorpe of MY DYING BRIDE spoke about his new band HIGH PARASITE, which released its debut album, “Forever We Burn“, last September via Candlelight/Spinefarm. Produced by Gregor Mackintosh of PARADISE LOST, the LP — with Stainthorpe and bassist/vocalist Danny “Tombs” Lambert at the helm — blends metal, gothic rock, and dark synth-pop into a powerful and emotionally raw sound.
Asked how difficult it was emotionally for him to step away from MY DYING BRIDE and do something new, Aaron said: “Well, it didn’t happen like that. It sort of evolved over months, I guess. So I didn’t wake up and suddenly go, ‘Right, I’m doing this now.’ It just sort of evolved, and when something evolves at a slower pace, you’ve got time to get used to it. It’s not a big shock and you start to become that other person.
“I said it before I’ll say it again: I feel 10 years younger,” Aaron continued. “And so it must be good for my health. And weirdly — I don’t know how this works — I’m eating better and I’m drinking less and I’m exercising more. So whatever I’ve decided to become or do is really beneficial on so many different levels.”
Asked if MY DYING BRIDE fans are taking the journey with him and his new band or if he is reaching an entirely new audience, Aaron said: “Well, a bit of both. We always see MY DYING BRIDE shirts at the gigs, and people come over and I’m signing MY BYING BRIDE merch all the time. That will never stop, which is great. And a lot of them have come along for the ride. It won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, and that’s fine. No one band is everyone’s cup of tea. Some of them, they absolutely love it and they’ve bought everything, which is absolutely fantastic. So, yeah, the MDB fans are coming along for the ride and for the most part loving it.”
Asked if it was difficult for him to switch gears and do something like this apart from what has pretty much been his legacy, Aaron said: “Yeah, I didn’t really think about it, to be honest. I mean, MY DYING BRIDE did death metal and doom. Some of the death metal stuff was pretty rapid. It wasn’t all doom. So, we knew how to nod our heads pretty rapidly back in the old days. And this is a bit more of that. The songs are obviously much, much shorter. They’re super catchy. But it’s weird having someone else singing on stage, because Tombs does some vocals and I do the vocals. And I’m thinking to myself, ‘Well, when he’s singing, what am I supposed to do?’ I’m not gonna dance. I can’t dance, I’m not gonna embarrass myself like that. But I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to do. My stage craft is still developing. I just try and walk around a bit. I bought a cordless microphone so I could get a bit more movement on stage without tripping everybody. So, it is weird when I’m not the only singer, because, of course, in MDB I was the only one doing the singing. So, that’s a bit weird. But the music’s just cool music. It’s great to sing and it’s great to move to.
“I said I feel 10 years younger because the energy that the music brings and the energy that the younger members of HIGH PARASITE give off, it just makes me feel great,” Aaron added. “So on stage, I’m actually having fun. With MY DYING BRIDE, I never had — I wouldn’t call it ‘fun’ on stage, because the songs are really emotional and they’re super heavy. It was draining mentally for me with MY DYING BRIDE. With HIGH PARASITE, for the first time ever, I look forward to getting on stage, and I love being on stage with HIGH PARASITE. And I’ve never felt that.
“At this age in my life, you sort of think, well, you’ve done this thing for a long, long time, and that’s all you’re gonna do… And then suddenly something else comes along, and it flips the coin completely. And as I say, I feel 10 years younger, I’m full of energy and I can’t wait for the next gig.”
Regarding what it has been like to have successfully reinvented himself at this stage of his life, Aaron said: “Well, again, because I’ve never reinvented myself before, it’s all very, very new. It’s all super new to me. I don’t what I’m doing half the times, but it just feels good. I’ve got a new lease of energy, and I’m doing things I’ve not done before. Which is good at this stage of my life, to be doing brand new things. It’s great. And I’ve started reading my poetry at gigs as well now.
“In January this year, I did a show in a church in Belgium with DARKHER and SYLVAINE. It was brilliant,” he revealed. “And I’m working on a few more of these sort of events. Something’s coming up in October, I believe, where I’ll be performing again with DARKHER and the DEAD SPACE CHAMBER MUSIC group, doing some poetry and some versions of MY DYING BRIDE songs that people would’ve heard before. So, again, things I’ve never done before. And I’m really enjoying it.”
Asked if he feels like there is “a whole new creative spark going on”, Aaron said: “Yeah, definitely. I still like writing the really heavy lyrics because that’s really where my heart is — the deep, meaningful stuff. And while at the moment that’s not lyrics for MY DYING BRIDE, it’s poems which I’m able to perform live. So I’m still venting my emotions, but instead of singing them with MY DYING BRIDE, I’m speaking them to people who are bewildered sometimes, but for the most part, enjoying it. Because a lot of my poetry is very much like MY DYING BRIDE lyrics. It comes from the same heart, same soul. So, if you like MY DYING BRIDE lyrics, you’re pretty much gonna like the poetry.”
It was announced last December that MY DYING BRIDE had recruited SWALLOW THE SUN vocalist Mikko Kotamäki to front the band for their live appearances in 2025.
HIGH PARASITE released its debut album, “Forever We Burn“, last September via Candlelight/Spinefarm.
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