A legion of metal fans squeezed onto a small boat on the Hudson may seem like a dangerous idea. For Pig Destroyer, though, the danger was part of the excitement.

This past October 24th, as part of the CMJ festival, the Temptress hosted about 500 fans (probably a few more than the boat is supposed to hold) for the festival’s only metal show. The show featured Virginia grindcore band Pig Destroyer, who played between New Orleans bands Goatwhore and headliners Eyehategod.

“We saw this show and we were like, ‘we have to play this show with Eyehategod on a boat,’” said Scott Hull, guitarist of the band. “I mean come on. It’s on a boat.” While few of the musicians and fans could find the right words to describe what was so special about a show on a boat, everyone seemed to agree that the setting made this far better than your average metal show. To add to the perfect surroundings, a few bolts of lightning decorated the skyline only hours before the show began.

From the dance floor, the Temptress seems roomy. The wooden floor, acting as the stage, is surrounded by a second floor balcony. Carpeted standing room with a very low ceiling circles underneath the balcony, and an outdoor deck was open as a smoking area away from the show. Add a couple hundred fans and all that personal space quickly disappears, especially for the band.

“I felt like I was playing in a war-zone,” said Hull. During Pig Destroyer’s set, fans pushed the band off the floor and backed them against their amps. The couple dozen eccentric fans in the front lines got a very intimate show. After only a couple of songs, though, no one else on the boat could see the band underneath the flailing limbs of the pit. The few lucky fans missed out on vocals, since the PA was situated a few feet behind them. JR Hayes, the band’s vocalist, was still vaguely audible over the amplifiers.

“It was crazy,” said Hayes, who rarely needed to make eye contact with fans despite commanding tremendous stage presence. “I’ve never played a show like this before.”

That would be saying a lot, considering how much popularity has come with the band’s newest studio release, Phantom Limb. Pig Destroyer, however, has established a reputation for not playing a ton of shows. The members have noted various reasons for the lack of gigs, an uncommon occurrence in the metal world, and the influx of fans has not prompted the band to change their ways.

“It’s not about playing a ton of shows, it’s just about playing the good shows,” said Hull. “And it’s about hanging out with the fans at the shows we do play.” The band certainly did just that, though it may have been because of the tight confines of the venue. Nevertheless, when the majority of the other musicians were nowhere to be seen, Hull and Hayes joined drummer Brian Harvey (Blake Harrison, samples, was feeling a little seasick) on the deck and in the audience talking with fans.

Playing on a boat was certainly a new experience for the band, but playing in New York was a little more familiar. “We love playing in New York,” said Hull. “We’ve always had good shows in New York.”

“Well, except for the first one,” Hayes corrected. “Our first show in New York was at the Knitting Factory, and there were only, like, 12 people there.” Hayes laughed as he told the story, while Hull struggled to recall the gig.

The band has come a long way from that first New York gig, though, and Pig Destroyer is now considered one of the leaders in a very strong subgenre. “We’re sort of a third generation grindcore band,” said Hayes.

Pig Destroyer has not been afraid to venture elsewhere in their career, even releasing a one-track doom metal EP called Natasha (sonically, a polar opposite of grindcore). “I wanted to create an auditory experience,” said Hull, the primary writer on the specific project. “I want you to put it in your DVD player with your 5.1 surround sound and sit in the middle of the room.”

The intricate musical and lyrical details are not limited to Natasha, and really come to the forefront on Phantom Limb. “With Phantom Limb, we got to jam out on these songs for two months,” said Hayes.

Jamming out on grindcore songs is an interesting notion, considering the typical length of a track is about a minute. There was an advantage to the song lengths for the fans on the Temptress, though, as the forty-minute set featured more songs than most would expect. The quick-hit style had many exhausted early in the set, but the audience and the band seemed to respond by using the sense of weariness to fuel more energy and movement. A dim red spotlight peered through the thicket of raised arms, causing shadows to jump wildly on Hayes.

Later on in the evening, Hayes found himself leading the cast of 500 again, this time in a very different way. As the Temptress pulled in, Hayes stood at the front of the deck with a cigarette, looking straight ahead at the Manhattan skyline, the Intrepid brightly lit up just to the left of the dock. Fans had been approaching him all night, but at this moment no one seemed to want stand within 10 feet, leaving the musician to sing along with Eyehategod’s set, faintly sounding from a set of speakers, in a light drizzle.

Pig Destroyer has found itself, despite increasing popularity, at a point of satisfaction. The members know a higher pinnacle can be reached, but enjoying the present seems more important and goals remain short term. “We just spent all summer building a studio,” said Hull. “There’s no new material yet, but we’re ready to get back to work.”

For Hayes, however, there is one long-term goal. “I just want to play with Slayer.”