Holy Roar Records Founder Accused of Sexual Harassment and Rape; Bands Leave, Employees Quit

Alex Fitzpatrick, founder of U.K.-based metal label Holy Roar Records — which counts Conjurer, Secret Cutter, Møl, Boss Keloid and many others among its acts — has been publicly accused of sexual harassment by three women, two of whom also allege he raped them.

In light of the allegations, Rolo Tomassi have announced they have severed ties with the label. Ithaca and Palm Reader posted messages on social media indicating that they are aware of (and appalled by) the allegations and are investigating next steps. Just this morning, Svalbard announced they would not be releasing their upcoming album, When I Die, Will I Get Better?, via Holy Roar; it had been scheduled for September 25 via Holy Roar with two singles released to date (the U.S. release via Translation Loss will still go forward, from what we can gather).

Three of Holy Roar’s employees, Justine, Sam and Wil, posted a joint statement on the label’s Twitter announcing their collective resignation. They also indicated that Fitzpatrick will be making his own statement “in due course.”

You can read the accusations in the social media posts below, followed by the band and employee reactions.

Update, 2:33pm EDT: Fitzpatrick has now issued a statement of his own in which he denied all accusations and stepped down from Holy Roar:

“You may have been made aware of the devastating allegations against me on social media, the most serious of which have been made by women who I dated approximately 8 years ago. These allegations are false, and I am doing everything I can to clear my name. I immediately instructed solicitors to help me defend my name and reputation. For legal reasons, I am advised by my solicitors, at this stage, to refrain from making further comments. I have also resigned with immediate effect from my businesses to enable me to focus on clearing my name.”