Dave Pybus
A stalwart of the British extreme metal scene, whose thunderous bass lines anchored the gothic horror of Cradle of Filth for over a decade.
Born 1970 (age 56)·British extreme metal musician·Birthday: June 4·Generation X
Biography
Dave Pybus carved out a durable career in the shadows of the metal world, becoming a reliable and respected figure known for his solid, driving bass work. His journey through the UK's underground circuit included early stints with bands like Dreambreed and Anathema, but it was his recruitment into Cradle of Filth in 2002 that defined his public profile. For twelve years, Pybus provided the low-end foundation for the band's most prolific and internationally successful period, appearing on albums like 'Damnation and a Day' and 'Nymphetamine.' His stage presence was a study in controlled intensity, a fixed point amidst the band's theatrical chaos. After his departure in 2014, he remained active, co-finding the melodic death metal project Memoriam and later joining the reactivated version of his former band, Anathema. Pybus represents the journeyman musician whose technical skill and professional consistency help sustain the complex machinery of a major metal act.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Dave was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dave Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Dave's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the bassist for Cradle of Filth from 2002 to 2014, performing on six studio albums during a peak commercial period for the band.
- Co-founded the melodic death metal supergroup Memoriam in 2016, handling bass duties and contributing to multiple albums.
- Rejoined the reactivated line-up of Anathema in 2022, a band he had briefly played with in the early 1990s.
- His playing is featured on Cradle of Filth's 'Nymphetamine,' which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005.
Did You Know?
Before joining Cradle of Filth full-time, he was a session musician for the band, first appearing on the 'Lovecraft & Witch Hearts' compilation.
He is a trained guitar maker and worked in a guitar factory early in his career.
He was briefly the bassist for the doom metal band Anathema in 1991, prior to their rise to fame.
He runs a small business building and repairing custom bass guitars.
“The bass must be a pillar of granite around which the chaos can swirl.”
