Did Cradle of Filth Tone Down Infamous 'Jesus Is a C--t' Shirt?

The Cradle of Filth T-shirt that bears the infamous and offensive back print slogan "Jesus Is a Cunt" has been the center of controversy for decades. In a combined effort with their label, Nuclear Blast, the cleanup crew has been at work on shirt redesigns for not only Cradle of Filth, but Municipal Waste and Machine Head as well.

That's what they all claimed, at least, when posts announcing the coming T-shirt drop hit social media on March 31 in all North American time zones, one day before April Fool's Day.

"Having been banned in New Zealand and prompting the arrest of fans who have worn it, the T-shirt still causes upset almost 30 years after its creation. Self-appointed guardians of public morality will be pleased to hear that we have heard your calls of displeasure and have decided to reprint a less controversial version of the t-shirt! There's no place for swearing on band merchandise any more so it seems appropriate to celebrate this by launching this new design," wrote Cradle of Filth as they introduced the new design — on the front is a nun blowing bubblegum with the text "Vestal Mastication" (instead of "Vestal Masturbation") and the back was changed to read "Jesus Is a Jerk."

Nuclear Blast, meanwhile, touted additional new wares from Machine Head and Municipal Waste, both with more toned town words and imagery.

So long, "Machine Fucking Head" / "Head Bang Mother Fucker" shirt and hello "Machine Flippin' Head" / "Head Bang Mother Lover" shirt! Remember that Municipal Waste one of twice impeached former U.S. president Donald Trump using handheld weaponry to relocate his brain to anywhere that isn't inside his skull? That had all been swapped for a bouquet of tulips in hand and a rainbow pouring out of the former The Apprentice host's head.

See the Machine Head and Municipal Waste "public friendly" version by flipping through the images in Nuclear Blast's post below.

Spoiler alert: Additional social media posts clarified that this was all, as many fans had presumed, an elaborate April Fool's Day hoax. Still, some fans (and Maurizio Iacano of Kataklysm) didn't realize it at first and expressed contempt over these public friendly remakes.