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Instrumental Progressive Rocker Montresor to release new album ‘Autopoiesis’

By Kath Galasso on May 7, 2024

Guitarist, composer and musical dadaism afficionado Cameron Pikó, who for his musical pursuits has taken on the moniker of Montresor, is set to release his follow-up album to his 2015 debut album, Entelechy. The forthcoming Autopoiesis is a drastic stylistic, however not substantive departure.

An obvious and lifelong progressive and experimental devotee, Pikó’s first album was an all-musical love letter to prog rock which brought past to present with he punishing guitar licks of the virtuosos of the 80s, the progressive sensibilities and time signatures of King Crimson and Jethro Tull and the melodic intensity of more recent guitar bands like Ratatat or The Sword. Very little of the powerful rock ire of Entelechy remains on Autopoiesis, but there’s still a lot of Montresor there, rest assured.

‘The first album in 9 years was a long time in the making, with some compositions dating back to 2018’s February Album Writing Month challenge. ‘Autopoiesis’ is an extended labor of love…paying tribute to a lesser-known subgenre of progressive music with a fascinating history, the short-lived Rock in Opposition (RIO) movement of the late 70s. Influenced by RIO bands such as Henry Cow and Univers Zero, the music fuses technical instrumental progressive rock with classical instrumentation.’

In parts of Entelechy such as “Beluga Whale” and “Funkminster Bullerene,” Piko’s appreciation for the progenitor of prog rock, jazz fusion, can be seen peeking through, so while on first listen, Autopoiesis seems wildly different from its predecessor, all the same compositional elements are still there, just applied differently. Autopoiesis is much more Miles Davis meets Frank Zappa than Robert Fripp meets Dave Sabo, but the writing, the syncopation and the joy in experimental time signature still remains.

…the music fuses technical instrumental progressive rock with classical instrumentation: clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, piano, harpsichord and marimba alongside guitars, bass and drums. (I) navigate oddly timed rhythms, polymeters and bitonality thanks to a host of skilled musicians (on the album)

The wild ride that is Autopoiesis is clearly something the Australian-London transplant Piko is passionate about, and anyone following his journalistic writings on the subject of progressive music will know he has a diverse taste. Despite the surprising turn this album took, it should be no surprise that he wants to take Montresor in as many different directions as possible. That said, it will certainly surprise fans when it releases later this year.

Autopoiesis – the capacity of a system to reproduce itself

Montresor’s first album in 9 years was a long time in the making, with some compositions dating back to 2018’s February Album Writing Month challenge. Autopoiesis is an extended labour of love by guitarist and composer Cameron Pikó, paying tribute to a lesser-known subgenre of music with a fascinating history, the short-lived Rock in Opposition (RIO) movement of the late 70s. Influenced by RIO bands such as Henry Cow and Univers Zero, the music fuses technical instrumental progressive rock with classical instrumentation: clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, piano, harpsichord and marimba alongside guitars, bass and drums. The music deftly navigates odd timed rhythms, polymeters and bitonality thanks to a host of skilled musicians, including both Morgan Ågren (Magma, Meshuggah’s Fredrik Thordendal) and Gerry Pantazis (Larry Carlton, Tommy Emmanuel) on drums.

Musician Names/Instruments:

Cameron Pikó – guitars
Chris Martin – bassoon
Stuart Byrne – bass clarinet
Charlie Cawood – bass guitar
Vilan Mai – clarinet
Morgan Ågren – drums (1-2, 6-8)
Gerry Pantazsis – drums (3-5)
Phil Turcio – piano
Richard Allison and Gabriel Riccio – additional keys

Tracklist:

1 – Vanishing Fog (4:56)
2 – Farmland (7:23)
3 – Antinomies (5:31)
4 – Bildungsroman (7:46)
5 – Pyramid (5:28)
6 – Homunculus (3:44)
7 – The Fallen City (5:01)
8 – Autopoiesis (5:01)

Website: https://piko.com.au/in-disciplined/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/montresorband/
Twitter: MontresorBand
Instagram: montresorband
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7t70pTCSKbK3zNrijVCRyr
Bandcamp: https://montresor.bandcamp.com/album/entelechy

Artist Biography:

Montresor is the name for instrumental progressive rock composed by Melbourne guitarist Cameron Pikó. From 2011’s post-rock influenced Daybreak to the more explicit prog metal of 2015’s Entelechy, the music centres around complex time signature changes and angular riffs. After an extended hiatus, 2024’s Autopoiesis represents a shift in style, eschewing extended soloing for tightly composed pieces and the introduction of classical instrumentation alongside the ever-present guitar, bass and drums.