Interview with Pete Dee of Kremated pre-Red Roar

Kremated, explain the band's genre without using genre-tagging or cliches.

The aural equivalent of being in the middle of a massive pit sometime in the mid 1980's :) The idea behind Kremated I suppose was to create the band I'd most like to see live, combining the elements of my favourite Metal, Punk and Hardcore bands that really got me, you know, riffs or beats that just flick a switch in your brain. Doing this without being cheesy or derivative is a tricky job, but it seems to be working! I want to get the raw feel and passion back into Thrash, and remove the vacant posturing and hype that ruined it.

How does it feel for you to play Red Roar Festival? Sum up Red Roar in one sentence. Would this be Kremated's biggest appearance to date and if yes sum up the feeling.

Absolutely stoked, really, this is a massive undertaking, and we are glad to be a part of it, especially as we are billed on the same day as pretty much all the bands we would have asked to play with if we had a chance. This is definitely on a par with the Perfect Storm showcase we played at the Camden Underworld a few weeks ago, the buzz and the vibe is amazing. The only downside is we are on immediately after Bull Riff Stampede, so we both have to miss half of each others sets.

What are you looking forward to most besides playing?

Having a few jars with Bull Riff Stampede, watching Furious Horde, Wretched Soul and Warhorse, and catching up with some old friends who are coming down for it. Also immensely looking forward to the Sunday gig, as my good friend Andrew O'Neill will be there doing a bit of standup, and playing with his band, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, who are bloody brilliant. I'm gonna try to get down Monday and Friday too for Abandon The Faith and Merciless Fail.

What are Kremated's future plans?

Well, we have literally just finished all the final checks on the artwork and master for the "Total Warfare" CD, which we should have in our hands at the end of September. It went off to the pressing plant this afternoon, we are very excited! We have a load of shows coming up too, at least 5 confirmed in the next 2 months, and we are also planning the release party for early October. Past that, we are going to keep working on improving and fine tuning the sound, and writing songs for the next CD. We have come a long way in a frighteningly short space of time, and we see no point in resting on our laurels now, this is an ongoing thing, and I am putting every spare minute I have into the band. Thrash Ain't Dead!

Finally are there any hellos, thank you's, etc that you wish to say?

A big thank you to Adam and Annika and their team for putting on such a massive run of shows, all the bands who have NOT messed them about, and the Kremated Army for continued support in our campaign for the New Wave of Old Thrash! And a massive "get well soon" to my good friend Tim Smith.