Review Vital Weekly

Behind Compest we find Martin Steinebach, who is also out man behind Stillstand, Monoid and Conscientia Peccati (although I never heard that one), and each had it's own sound characteristics. In Compest however he throws them all together, the ambience of Stillstand and the rhythms of Monoid and whatever from Conscientia Peccati and the result is pseudo ethnic/tribal percussive music, heavy loaded ambient synths and dark samples. It's has the influences of Rapoon, Muslimgauze, Internal Fusion or Desaccord Majeur, to mention a few which pop to mind right away. Sometimes Compest knows how turn it around to give it's own twist, but sometimes he is a too much of copycat. It surely appeals to the more daring lovers of Ant-Zen related music, or the dark ambient crowd that likes something rocking and banging, even when it's just occasionally.

By Frans de Waard