CRADLE OF FILTH frontman Dani Filth has issued the following update:

"It is with considerable amount of sadness and some awful twist of fate, that we announce the absence of both Paul (Allender) and James (McIllroy) as COF guitarists on this forthcoming European co-headliner with BEHEMOTH. This horrible and unprecedented turn of events is due to Paul having some hugely important family matters arise and James having his forthcoming serious neck surgery appointment moved forward by a couple of months.

Not wanting to pull the tour so late in the day (and with the awful spectre of the cancelled US tour this time last year looming grimly over us), swift deliberation was made by Martin, Daniel, Lindsay, myself, band management and the Crewdle, to bring in two friends of the band who knew the material as temporary replacements. A long shot at first, this is actually going to keep the band on the road and firing at 100 per cent when we hit Europe at the end of next week.

Paul apologises profusely for his absence, but wanted to let everyone know that he wouldn't desert a tour if it wasn't for something of the gravest importance to his family. And James sent this through to explain the insidious horror he faces...

"Hi Dani, I am heading towards the operation date for the nerve damage in my arm that has been f**king me up for the last few tours, especially the Asia-Australian one last year. I'm kind of ignoring it a bit, as it's a bit weird... basically, they are slicing my neck open from the front (well, a minor incision) moving all the things in my throat to one side (windpipe, gloopy bits, everything you can imagine), and then replacing the broken disc in my neck with a spanking new plastic one. The same broken disc that has spilt out in to the nerve canal in my neck, quite possibly due to years of excessive onstage head-banging!!! Tell everyone I am sorry but if I don't have this done now my head will probably fall off!"

So there you have it! A proper f**king nightmare that we shall endeavour to resolve with all the resolve we can muster. Our thoughts are with our glum compatriots.

For the Satan Wants Your Children European tour Paul and Jame's replacements will be Ashok of the Czech bands ROOT and INNER FEAR and Richard Shaw, of English-based EMPEROR CHUNG and NG26, both awesome guitarists.. See you all in Hell!"

A previous update from Filth follows:

"Dani here to remind you of the forthcoming North European tour with BEHEMOTH, starting in a few weeks time on the seventh of February in Munich. We are very much looking forward to this as a band, and will be making some important announcements regarding it over the coming few weeks.

Also we will be winging you details of a forthcoming Twentieth Anniversary release in April that you old skoolers will absolutely love to bits, and the revelation of a COF festival show slap-bang in the middle of June, somewhere other than Europe (collective sigh ensuing from many a sorry heart!).

And that is just the tip of a very vicious iceberg, Unsinkables of Romance!"

As mentioned above, Cradle Of Filth will embark on a 19-date European co-headlining tour with Polish death / black metal legends Behemoth.

Transferring gothic horror from screen to record - a specialty of Grammy-nominated British veterans Cradle Of Filth. Cult albums like The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh proved in the 90s that authentic black metal doesn't necessarily have to come from Norway. Nowadays the band incorporates dark and death metal elements too, and recently Dani Filth made his “Fairytales for adults” come true on The Manticore And Other Horrors in 2012. This headlining tour will mark the 20th anniversary of The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh, so prepare for some true Supreme Vampyric Evil courtesy of one of the biggest names in extreme metal.

Dani Filth comments: "We are very much looking forward to touring with Behemoth et al, as I think the combined line-up for these momentous shows is definitely very killer. Prepare for some riotous shows immersed in such esteemed dark company, as Cradle traverses an Old Skool tour program set against a viscerally visual backdrop of nocturnal metal supremacy. In other words, be there or be squared. Pinhead-style!"

Behemoth might have been a classic black metal act in their early days (circa Sventevith 1995), but the priorities of mastermind Nergal shifted quickly: the following years saw the band opt for a death metal approach, and progressive / experimental influences turned Behemoth into a multi-faceted and unique beast on albums such as Zos Kia Cultus (2002). After the landmark release of Evangelion (2009), Nergal had to face leukemia - and battled this severe disease successfully. They`ll release The Satanist this year and you can look forward to pitch-black shows pairing avant-garde spirit with the atmosphere of a black mass.

Nergal comments: "We are immensely proud to start promotion of The Satanist on the release date of the album in such a noble company. It's been a while since we toured Europe for the last time... The wolf pack grew stronger and hungrier and with new opus and stage production we have so much more to offer. This European crusade will be the catalyst of 2 years long tour so keep your eyes open!"

Also set to appear on the bill is IN SOLITUDE, INQUISITION, and SVARTTJERN. Dates below:

February

7 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
8 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
9 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
10 - London, UK - Forum
11 - Paris, France - Bataclan
13 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
14 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
15 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle 2
16 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
18 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
19 - Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Atelier
21 - Wien, Austria - Gasometer
22 - Chemnitz, Germany - Sudbahnhof
24 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Traedgarn
25 - Stockholm, Sweden - Tyrol
26 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio
27 - Aarhus, Denmark - Voxhall
28 - Hamburg, Germany - Grunspan

March

1 - Berlin, Germany - Postbahnhof

For ticket information visit HardTicket.eu.