Former Cradle Of Filth keyboardist Lindsay Schoolcraft has spoken out against All That Remains frontman Phil Labonte. She is pushing back on his controversial claims that therapy is for women and that men don’t solve their problems by talking.
Schoolcraft addressed Labonte’s stance directly, making clear that she views his comments as harmful — particularly for young men who may be struggling with their mental health.
“He [Phil Labonte] is not a healthcare professional, he’s not a psychologist, he’s not a therapist,” Schoolcraft said. “This is my opinion and I’m not a professional either — I have a lot of male friends in therapy and it’s done them a world of wonder and has transformed their lives because you can do healing work and then you can do growing work, and there’s life coaching. You can come out on the other side. You don’t have to struggle.”
Schoolcraft went on to characterize Labonte’s views as rooted in toxic masculinity. She also offered a pointed personal assessment of his motivations.
“Discouraging people from going to therapy, especially men — that’s an extremely toxic, masculine view that is ultimately an opinion from the patriarchy that has done a lot of damage to society and is the reason why it’s crumbling right now,” she continued. “I don’t know… I think he probably does need to go to therapy and is a scared little boy who cares too much about the scared little boy inside, his inner child and is scared of what his macho homies are going to think of him.”
She also used a medical analogy to reinforce her point about the importance of seeking help.
“There should be no shame in getting help,” Schoolcraft said. “If your brain is broken, you need a doctor. If you broke a bone, you’re not going to leave the bone broken; you’re going to get help. You’re not going to get a Band-Aid. You’re going to get it reset and cast and x-rayed. That’s what therapy is.”
“It’s healing the brain,” she added. “But I don’t think that’s a very good message, especially for young men who could be struggling.”
Schoolcraft’s remarks come in direct response to Labonte’s recent public statements dismissing therapy as unsuitable for men. Those comments have ignited a wide-ranging debate both within and beyond the heavy music community.
Labonte made the remarks during an interview with Bill Bailey of Today’s Boondocks. He flatly stated that “therapy is for women” and argued that men do not address their problems through conversation. He also pointed to rising rates of male depression, suicide, and social disengagement as evidence that current therapeutic approaches are failing men. He framed his position as a critique of the system rather than a rejection of male suffering.
The remarks landed with particular force in the rock and metal world — a scene that has long grappled with entrenched macho norms and a deep cultural reluctance to discuss vulnerability. For many in the community, Labonte’s words were not simply a personal opinion but a reflection of a broader pattern. That pattern has historically discouraged men in heavy music from seeking help or openly acknowledging mental health struggles. The reaction to his comments made clear that a significant portion of the fanbase and its artists view that pattern as damaging and no longer acceptable.
Schoolcraft’s response carries added weight given her standing as a prominent voice in heavy music. As a former member of one of the genre’s most iconic acts and a public figure associated with mental health awareness, her pushback represents more than a personal disagreement. It signals a growing counter-movement within the scene against the stigma that has long surrounded men’s mental health.
The controversy has drawn attention to the broader cultural conversation around male mental health, masculinity, and the role public figures play in shaping attitudes. With suicide rates among older men continuing to rise and social disengagement becoming an increasingly visible crisis, the stakes of this debate extend well beyond a disagreement between two rock musicians. Schoolcraft’s core message — that there is no shame in seeking help, and that discouraging it causes real harm — reflects a position that mental health advocates have been pushing for years, now amplified by its collision with one of rock’s more outspoken contrarians.
Source: Blabbermouth
