Former Vulvodynia Vocalist Addresses Dismissal Amid Sexual Assault Allegations

Zion Bittenbender has broken his silence regarding his recent dismissal from South African deathcore band Vulvodynia, revealing a complex situation involving sexual assault allegations, tour cancellations, and internal band disagreements.

In an extensive social media statement consisting of fifteen slides with screenshots of private communications, Bittenbender detailed the sequence of events that led to his departure from the band after a brief tenure.

The controversy began shortly after Vulvodynia announced Bittenbender as their new vocalist. Sexual assault allegations against him quickly surfaced, leading to immediate repercussions for the band’s touring plans. According to emails shared by Bittenbender, Vulvodynia was removed from an upcoming US tour with Defeated Sanity because venues threatened to cancel shows if he remained in the lineup.

“This was purely a business decision, and not a personal decision,” wrote tour agent Liam Frith in one of the shared messages. “I cannot have this blowing back on Defeated Sanity for your decision, and risk Defeated Sanity’s headline tour being negatively impacted financially.”

Bittenbender’s posts suggest that Vulvodynia initially stood by him, believing the allegations to be false. In one voice note allegedly from guitarist Kris Xenopoulos, a band member remarks that “the thing about this though is not that people believe that this is real, they’re just so worried about money.”

According to Bittenbender, the band’s management advised complete silence on the matter until a formal plan was developed. He claims the band drafted a statement defending him and explaining their removal from the Defeated Sanity tour as “a result of false rumors,” but it was never published.

Instead, after weeks of what Bittenbender describes as radio silence and seeing band members distancing themselves on social media, he was informed during a video call that he would be parting ways with Vulvodynia. The decision was framed as a financial necessity due to the backlash.

“In the video chat, we came to an agreement that the band would not post a statement until we all agreed of what it entailed,” Bittenbender wrote. “I waited weeks for a statement and nothing came of it.”

The situation reached a breaking point when Bittenbender, frustrated by the lack of public communication, posted his own statement about no longer being in the band, calling the metal community “a shitshow” and claiming “Nobody is man enough to post a statement and just say what happened.”

Shortly afterward, on March 1, Vulvodynia released their official statement about Bittenbender’s departure: “We take allegations of sexual misconduct extremely seriously. Our priority is maintaining an environment that reflects our values and respects our fans, peers, and the wider community.”

The band also announced they would no longer participate in the US tour with Defeated Sanity and that their former vocalist Lwandile would handle vocal duties for remaining shows this year.

Bittenbender claims this official statement was “never agreed upon” as promised, and that he has since been blocked by all band members. He concluded his lengthy explanation by stating, “For the foreseeable future, I will be continuing as business as usual working on projects and covers. I appreciate Vulvodynia for the experience and opportunity they gave me.”

Notably, throughout his entire response, Bittenbender did not directly address or deny the sexual assault allegations that initiated the controversy, focusing instead on the communication breakdown with his former bandmates.

The incident highlights the increasingly common intersection of personal allegations, social media, and the business realities facing metal bands in today’s climate. Neither Vulvodynia nor their management has responded to Bittenbender’s recent statements.