Razor of Occam: Drink and Thrash Till Death

By Johnny Orlando, Jr.

“Occam’s Razor” is the theory that the barest, rawest, simplest answer is typically the correct one. London’s Razor of Occum can be described accordingly as a band that, according to Alex Antoniou (Bass/Backing Vocals), simply wants to “drink and thrash till death.” So cheerio – pour me a pint!

Razor of Occam played their first show as an official band in 1998 and as inspired by Crocodile Dundee, Matt Schneemilch (Vocals/Guitars) and Ian Gray (Guitars) set off on their own “bushman invasion,” leaving behind the south Australian desert to conquer Europe in the form of a black/thrash outfit. Fast-forward eleven years and you will find Razor of Occam’s latest album, Homage to Martyrs, having been inspired by the lives and deaths of boundary-pushing secular scientists and thinkers that would never be considered “martyrs” in the traditional spiritual context.

Antoniou, in particular, finds these scientists and philosophers so fascinating due to the uncanny interplay of genius and madness inherent in their work and personas. In keeping with the spirit of Occam’s Razor, he subscribes to the trappings of parsimony and being able to express oneself “with the minimum use of words.” For instance, Antoniou, with no further explanation, refuses to eat maple syrup at breakfast yet loves Britian’s “vile” supermarket sausages cooked over an open flame.

Alex looks deep into various states of mind for musical inspiration. He feels that these varied states allow “riffs to expand and genuinely represent the mood the composer has been at that very moment.” He also looks to books for lyrical exploration and is genuinely curious as to why none of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft’s books have been made into a decent movie yet. Cthulu Mythos anyone?

So what else is there to know about Alex Antoniou? First, Antoniou likes to refer to himself as the “dodgy Greek.” If given a week to live as a woodland animal, Antoniou would jump at the chance to be a hibernating bear. He hopes to see the year that contact is actually achieved with extraterrestrials so he can witness the uncertain outcome. Interestingly, “running out of booze” tops his list as the creepiest thing he’s experienced in the woods. His favorite late night food is greasy kebobs - mainly because they are the only thing available in London after midnight. And finally, “Say hello to my little friend!” is Alex’s favorite movie quote. It’s hard to say for sure, but Tony Montana would either love Razor of Occam’s no nonsense attitude or would ruthlessly fill them full of holes for making his ears bleed.

Antoniou is not saying whether a North American tour is in the works for Razor of Occam but he has hinted that we might see Destroyer 666 on this side of the pond in the foreseeable future. Razor of Occam’s third full-length release and Metal Blade debut, Homage to Martyrs, is available now.
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Johnny Orlando, Jr. is the world’s leading metal journalist. www.metaljohnny.com