In May 2023, a Rammstein fan accused frontman Till Lindemann of giving her a spiked drink at a pre-show party in Vilnius, Lithuania. While the band responded at the time, issuing a statement that claimed, "We can rule out the possibility that what is being claimed took place in our environment," more sexual misconduct allegations against Lindemann swiftly began to surface online, other women coming forward with similar stories of being "recruited" via social media prior to the band's concerts.
However, by last August, police dropped their investigation into Lindemann without filing any charges, citing a lack of evidence. The musician has recently been playing solo shows, prompting some speculation about whether Rammstein had potentially broken up in the allegations' aftermath — but that appears not to be the case.
Issuing a German-language statement to their Instagram yesterday (August 6), the band revealed that they have "actively been dealing with the allegations" since last summer. "We take this debate seriously, even if a lot of it is baseless and grossly exaggerated," they wrote. "It is an internal process that will accompany us for a long time. Each of us does it in our own way and deals with it differently. At this point we would particularly like to thank our families and loved ones for their unrestricted support and love; they too were hit hard by the allegations made and the media's handling of them."
They also thanked their fans for their continued support, adding, "This massive stadium tour with this great show and this extraordinary stage has now come to an end after 135 concerts in 5 years with 6 million fans. It's not Rammstein. It's not us. It's not you. The path continues."
Meanwhile, Billboard reports that Lindemann is suing German news outlet Der Spiegel over its newspaper and podcast coverage of the allegations, which he has vehemently denied. In a press release about the case, Lindemann's lawyers once again called the allegations "without exception untrue" and accused Der Spiegel of using falsified documents in their reporting and attempting to commit trial fraud.
See the band's statement — and read the English translation — below.
We want to say a big thank you to all of our fans, our friends and visitors to our concerts. Thank you for your support, your warmth and support on this 2024 tour. We could feel it everywhere and felt carried on a wave full of emotions. It was an honour to be able to play for you, to be a part of these happy moments and the joy we shared. Because of you, we are a band that has found its joy in music and on stage again. Every concert was a healing act for us. We thank you for that.
We have been actively dealing with the allegations made against the band since last summer. We take this debate seriously, even if a lot of it is baseless and grossly exaggerated. It is an internal process that will accompany us for a long time. Each of us does it in our own way and deals with it differently. At this point we would particularly like to thank our families and loved ones for their unrestricted support and love; they too were hit hard by the allegations made and the media's handling of them.
We thank our crew, our management, all our employees and everyone who has supported us and remained loyal along this journey. This massive stadium tour with this great show and this extraordinary stage has now come to an end after 135 concerts in 5 years with 6 million fans. It's not Rammstein. It's not us. It's not you. The path continues.
Farewell, goodbye, GOODBYE!!