At The Gates Part Ways With Guitarist Jonas Stålhammar Soon After Instagram Account Launches Accusing Him of Inappropriate Behavior
Earlier this weekend, we were made aware of an Instagram account alleging inappropriate behavior by At The Gates guitarist Jonas Stålhammar. The creator claims that Stålhammar coerced her into an online relationship, sent her sexual photos, and lied to her about his own relationship status. Now, it appears that Stålhammar has been fired from At The Gates, with no explanation offered as to why.
The Instagram account, titled @stalis_after_dark, contains screenshots of text conversations which allegedly took place between the anonymous founder and Stålhammar, in which the guitarist sends sexual pictures and brags about his sexual exploits. The latest post on the page is a full-on statement about the relationship, saying:
“Jonas Stålhammar, guitarist for Swedish Melodic Death Metal band, At The Gates, coerced me, a fan, into an online sexual relationship with him that lasted for nearly a year. At the time, I didn’t even realize that he was coercing me and taking advantage of me. Him and At the Gates were my metal heroes. I didn’t want to believe that he was doing this to me. I believe that I developed Stockholm Syndrome dealing with this man. Over time, I started developing positive and romantic feelings towards him all while he was coercing me and continuously crossing my boundaries. This is in addition to him possibly lying to me about his marital status. It took me nearly a year to realize what he was doing to me and finally decided to remove myself from the situation. I don’t want anyone else to go through what I went through.”
On Saturday, At The Gates released the following statement via their social media:
“At The Gates have chosen to part ways with guitar player Jonas Stålhammar. We are currently working to find a replacement for the upcoming shows.”
At The Gates and Stålhammar have yet to comment on the Instagram account.
More on this story as it unfolds.