A black metal band has issued an apology to vegans following outrage over a pig's head being thrown into the crowd at their concert.
The group named Martyrdom played a show at the White Swan in Houston, Texas on Friday (January 19), where the bands Devoured Trachea and Accosted were headlining.
According to footage shared on X (formerly Twitter) by user @SALVIATALKSHOW, an unsettling event took place as a severed pig's head was flung toward the back of the audience.
One shocked concertgoer couldn't believe that pigs could fly as they were heard exclaiming "Gross!" over the blaring music.
If you're wondering how social media reacted to the video, the answer's negative as the band is now facing backlash for the strange stunt.
Many people have pointed out that the act itself is animal cruelty, with one user writing: "Corny ** with that Lord Of The Flies s**t. Go vegan."
Another user commented: "Personally I don't think the m** who do this shit should be allowed to breathe the same air as the rest of us, undeserving of basic human rights," and added in a follow-up post: "I'm not one for saying 'venues should or shouldn't do this or that,' but considering the amount of diseases a real actual severed animal head can carry maybe the white swan should, idk, tell these kids no next time. That's not 'cool' that's a biohazard."
A third commented: "Imagine being a straight-edge vegan punk just to have a dead pig's head thrown at you in the pit I'm literally nauseous."
A fourth user quipped: "If I got hit with a severed pig's head at a show, I’m entering my militant vegan arc on the spot, straight up."
Others were just simply grossed out by the ordeal: "Don’t do this. It was a health and safety hazard when black metal bands were doing this in the 90/00’s, and it’s a health and safety hazard now. Also, f***ing gross dude."
"Maybe I’m just old but I feel like people these days go to shows and do insane s*** to prove how cool and tough they are but it just ruins the experience for everyone else, even them because they’re too busy trying to do their stupid shtick instead of enjoying the music lmao," someone else interjected.
After seeing criticism from those in the vegan community and other individuals, Martyrdom put out the following statement expressing regret over the act.
Via Lambgoat, the apology read: "Hi everyone. We just want to start off by saying we are incredibly sorry to anyone we offended with our actions and gimmicks on stage. We are a black metal band, and as part of it, we try to add a little bit of imagery and shock value to our set."
The band said the act has "gotten carried away and way out of hand, offending many and even harming some," and apologized to vegans, Muslims, and other minority groups.
"Most importantly we want to apologize to the White Swan, and Harry, the sound guy, specifically. Thank you so much white swan for giving us the opportunity to play there," they concluded.