Co-founder and former singer of Crystal Castles, Alice Glass, has alleged she was raped and assaulted by her former bandmate in a statement posted to her website.
The Canadian artist revealed that the alleged sexual and physical abuse from Ethan Kath (real name Claudio Palmieri) led to her decision to leave the band in 2014.
"Claudio was very manipulative towards me. He figured out my insecurities and exploited them: he used the things he learned about me against me," Glass' statement reads.
"Over a period of many months, he gave me drugs and alcohol and had sex with me in an abandoned room at an apartment he managed. It wasn’t always consensual and he remained sober whenever we were together."
Glass concluded the post, "Leaving Crystal Castles was the single most difficult decision I've ever made—that band was everything to me.
"My music, my performances and my fans were all I had in the world. I gave that up and started over not because I wanted to but because I had to. As difficult as it was, I knew that leaving was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It has taken me years to recover from enduring almost a decade of abuse, manipulation and psychological control. I am still recovering."
See the full statement here.
In a statement given to Pitchfork, Palmieri has denied the allegations.
"I am outraged and hurt by the recent statements made by Alice about me and our prior relationship," he said.
"Her story is pure fiction and I am consulting my lawyers as to my legal options. Fortunately, there are many witnesses who can and will confirm that I was never abusive to Alice."
Since departing Crystal Castles in 2014, Glass has issued a few statements about her relationship with Palmieri.
In a statement announcing her decision to leave the group, she wrote, "For a multitude of reasons both professional and personal I no longer feel that this is possible within CC".
Then in 2016, Glass boycotted a feminist showcase that Crystal Castles were later dropped from.
Glass told The Verge at the time, "As someone who knew Ethan Kath on a personal and professional level, it is my opinion that he is not an appropriate artist to be performing at a feminism-centric event".
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