Members of Orphan are Suing Some Members of PeelingFlesh Over Copyright Dispute

A legal dispute between former bandmates has boiled over into the court system, as members of both slam/brutal death metal outfit PeelingFlesh and deathcore band Orphan battle over who owns the name of their old band.

Filed last month on December 3 by Jacob and Josh Mathes, the duo behind Orphan, the case alleges that Mychel Soto and Joe Pelletier of PeelingFlesh somehow ran afoul of copyright law in relation to the name of their old band Strangled. All four were in that band together until 2021 when the band broke up over a personal dispute. Since then, the former members have been battling over who actually owns the band name. The Mathes brothers are also suing their old band’s distributor, CDBaby, for similar alleged copyright infringements.

Thanks to the uncertainty surrounding the band, the state of Strangled’s entire discography has fluctuated in terms of its availability on popular streaming services. While that could be frustrating for fans, it can actually be a financial detriment to the members looking to make even a meager pittance from streaming numbers.

Digital copies of the court case’s legal documents are available online, but they’re stuck behind a paywall, so you’re going to have to pony up if you want the full skinny on the case.