Cradle of Filth guitarist Marek “Ashok” Šmerda is getting married to the band’s keyboardist/vocalist Zoë M. Federoff.
Federoff joined Cradle of Filth in 2022 following the exit of Annabelle Iratni, while Ashok has been with the symphonic black metal act since 2014. Cradle of Filth are known for creating extreme metal, but the band does have gothic/romantic leanings with “love songs” such as “A Gothic Romance (Red Roses for The Devil’s Whore)” and “Dusk and Her Embrace.”
Federoff took to Instagram to share news of her engagement to the guitarist:
“Happy New Year from a Šmerda and a future Šmerda-2024 will be the last year the name ‘Zoë Federoff’ exists. Forever isn’t long enough. #HappyNewYear #AreWeThereYet”.
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There have apparently been some misgivings about the engagement among the band’s fanbase. In separate follow-up post, Federoff addressed those who have been “speculating and spreading rumors” about the couple and their past and future intentions in regards to Cradle of Filth.
Wrote Federoff [via Facebook]:
“First of all, thank you all so much for your warm wishes and congratulations. Secondly, I truly wish I didn’t feel the need to completely clear this up but there’s a lot of strange rumors and stories floating around so, take note: I never knew Ashok before I joined COF. He had nothing to do with me coming on board. I have already written some material for the next COF album so clearly our engagement has nothing to do with my continued stay in this band.
“We have no plans to leave COF as we truly enjoy working together, not to mention working with several of our closest friends. Dani has been the greatest and most supportive leader possible when it comes to our engagement.
“We remain happily committed to his team in COF.
“Now please- stop speculating and spreading rumors and let’s celebrate all the good things happening this year!”
Cradle of Filth wrapped up a busy 2023 that saw the band embark on multiple tours with DevilDriver. The Dani Filth-fronted outfit also released a live album, Trouble and Their Double Lives, which was culled from concert recordings from 2014 through 2019.
So far, the band has a European tour on the books for 2024. The outing kicks off in February, with tickets available here.
See Federoff’s social media posts regarding her engagement to Šmerda below.
