RAMMSTEIN Keyboardist CHRISTIAN "FLAKE" LORENZ Facing Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct Dating Back 20 Years
July 19, 2023, a year ago
A recent report by DW News revealed allegations of sexual misconduct have been levelled against Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann. Following the claims by one Shelby Lynn that were made public, an investigation by German reporters shows that the case could by part of a systematic process to satisfy Lindemann's sexual requests. German police have opened an investigation into sexual assault allegations against Lindemann, as a number of women have now alleged they were recruited for sex at concerts. Shelby Lynn, from Northern Ireland, recently told the BBC she believed her drink had been spiked and she had been "groomed for sex."
Lindemann has denied the allegations, with his lawyers calling the claims "without exception untrue".
According to a follow-up report issued by DW News on July 17th, Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung and NDR have reported fresh allegations, which this time also implicate Rammstein keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz. Two women have come forward anonymously, with allegations dating back over 20 years.
Lawyers for Lorenz and Lindemann have rejected the allegations, citing privacy and insufficiently substantiated facts. Lindemann has not responded to certain questions relating to the case. Lorenz and Lindemann will both be presumed innocent until potentially proven guilty, under the German legal system.
Read the complete report here.
Back in June,
Rammstein drummer Christoph Schneider issued a statement via Instagramreflecting his "personal thoughts and emotions" with regards to the situation. The translation from German can be read below.
"Dear people,
I would like to share my personal emotions and thoughts with you.
The accusations of the last few weeks have deeply shaken us as a band and me as a person. You fans certainly too. I feel as if in shock by the things that have been shared on social media and in the press and in print about our singer. This is an ebb and flow of emotions for us band members and crew.
No, I don't think anything criminally relevant (such as the use of knockout drops) happened. No. I don't think anything illegal was going on, I've never seen anything like it, nor heard anything like it from any of our crew of 100 people. All I heard from Till's parties were adults celebrating together. And yet things seem to have happened that, although legally ok, I personally don't think are ok. Certain structures have grown that went beyond the limits and values of the other band members. It is also important to us that Till's parties are not confused with our official after-show parties.
Till has distanced himself from us in recent years and created his own bubble.
With their own people, their own parties, their own projects. That made me sad, definitely. I believe Till when he tells us that he always wanted and still wants to give his private guests a good time. How exactly these guests had imagined this, however, seems to differ in some cases from his own ideas. The wishes and expectations of the women who have now come forward were probably not fulfilled. According to their statements, they felt uncomfortable, on the edge of a situation that they could no longer control.
I feel sorry for her and I feel compassion. However, it is important for me to emphasize something objective: every guest in the backstage area is free to leave (they may have to wait a moment for security to lead them safely to the exit). All bottles are sealed and in full view of the guests freshly opened or they open them themselves.
Water and snacks are available just like Security personnel and medical care available at any time. We want all of our guests to feel comfortable and safe with us!
This is our standard. So I'm sorry to hear that some didn't feel that way.
We have the greatest fans in the world and they all deserve to be treated with respect! I'm sorry for anyone who wasn't treated kindly or felt unsafe backstage with us.
Also for Shelby, she deserved a great concert and a wonderful evening.
But I don't want this whole public dispute about our band to feed the extremes: neither the beast social media, which has not yet been tamed by our society, nor paternalistic tendencies to deny women in their mid-20s the ability to make self-determined decisions about their sexuality and also by no means victim blaming, so that people continue to date to talk about it if something happened to them. I wish for a calm, level-headed reflection and processing, also in our band.
And all together, six of us. We stand together.
Your Christoph Schneider."
Rammstein's record label, Universal Music, recently revealed they have "suspended marketing and promotional activities for the band's recordings."
Prosecutors opened the investigation on their own initiative as well as "on the basis of several criminal complaints filed by third parties," referring to people not directly involved in the alleged incidents, according to the AFP news agency.
Read the complete report here. Check out the initial DW news report below.
Rammstein recently issued a statement regarding the allegations via Instagram. It reads as follows (translated from German):
"The reports over the last few days have caused irritation and raised questions among the public and especially among our fans. The allegations hit us all very hard and we take them extremely seriously.
We say to our fans: It is important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows - in front of and behind the stage.
We condemn any kind of abuse and ask you: do not engage in public prejudice of any kind against those who have made allegations. You have a right to your point of view.
But we, the band, also have a right – namely not to be prejudiced either."
