Greek band Cremate take us on a nostalgic trip back to the 1990s with a thrilling thrash meets death metal sound that they describe as “aggressive, melodic and dark.”
The Athens trio of Chris C (vocals/bass), Akis Pastras (rhythm/lead guitars) and The Goat (drums) originally formed back in the 90s as a group of friends who loved heavy music and wanted to push things into more extreme territory. They played shows, released a demo and a debut EP before life took them in different directions. Fast forward a few decades, they recently reunited with the same passion they had as teenagers, but with more experience and a clearer musical vision.
As Chris explains: “Cremate today is both a continuation of our roots and a new chapter built on everything we have lived through since those early days. The current EP and project took three years, during which we changed and erased everything repeatedly. We wanted it to be perfect for us, making sure no member had any objections.”
And on the sound they’ve crafted, Chris told us: “It is a mix of old school death and thrash, built on aggressive riffing and raw energy, but also enriched with melodic touches. The synths add a darker and more atmospheric character, and the violin on Die As You Lived gives a unique emotional colour that you do not often hear in this style. We want the music to hit hard, but also to stay in your head after the first listen. It carries the spirit of the classic era while still feeling current and personal.”
Our first taste of this is their new EP Ready To Fight, which was released last month. It opens up with the aforementioned Die As You Live, which starts with spoken samples that give way to a stabbing riff that continues over driving drums. Vicious vocals take over and lead into a powerful chorus supported by cool little guitar flurries that give way to the stabbing guitar with synths creeping in. That gives way to more intense vocals, heavy guitars and rolling drums, before a delicious guitar solo drops back into the heavy guitars and subtle synths. The pace suddenly slows with violins over drawn-out guitars, which tee up a dramatic conclusion.
Human opens up with lively guitars that drop into a cool stabbing riff and gruff vocals, which give way to a piercing guitar lick. The intense vocals continue, dropping into rhythmic guitars and drums before big guttural vocals give way to a cool synth sound setting up a lively outro. Next up is the EP’s longest track Cerebral Pain, coming in at over six minutes, which opens up with typically lively guitars and vicious vocals. Halfway through, the pace drops before gradually building with a delicious high-pitched lick under the gruff vocals to bring it to a melodic conclusion.
The EP closes with title track Ready To Fight, which dives into a few chugging riffs before Chris’s intense vocals take over. A cool stabbing riff comes in and eventually gives way to a cool guitar solo, which returns later on to bring the EP to an end.
On the EP, the band told us: “The reception has been very positive so far, and we are really happy that people are connecting with it. For anyone who hasn’t heard it yet, they can expect a blend of old school death and thrash with a more melodic and modern touch. It is intense, personal and direct, with themes about inner conflict, social pressure and the fight to stand your ground when everything around you feels like it is falling apart. It is heavy, but also catchy and easy to get into.”
The Cremate sound is heavily influenced by 90s bands like Metallica, Kreator, Sodom, Death and everything in between. Chris explains: “That era had the perfect mix of raw power, aggression and emotion. Those bands pushed us into this path, and they still inspire us today.”
And on what inspires their music, Chris told us: “We write music based on what we live and what we see around us. Personal struggle, society collapsing under greed and hypocrisy, the fight for truth, and the psychological pressure of modern life, these are the things that push us to create. It is never just violence for the sake of it, there is always a meaning behind the aggression. Our themes often deal with inner conflict, spiritual decay, and the need to rise again even when everything feels lost. Music becomes a way to speak honestly, louder than words ever could.”
There’s plenty more to come from Cremate, who are already working on their next release. They have five new songs in progress, and tell us the direction is stronger and even more refined. “We will see when and how it will come out, but the material is there, fresh and evolving,” Chris said. “We don’t have concrete plans for live shows at the moment, as the other members are busy with other projects and time is tight. But you never know, maybe something will happen in the future.
“We are not trying to reinvent the wheel, we just play metal the way we feel it. Our goal is for it to sound a little different from the rest, if we’ve achieved that, I don’t know. If you like aggressive music with emotion, atmosphere, and a bit of old-school spirit, give us a listen. And if you enjoy what you hear, support the band, share the music and keep the scene alive.”
You can follow Cremate on Facebook and Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp and YouTube.
Listen to Cremate and more new bands on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Core and GigRadar Metal
GigRadar 