Knecht Revisits Classic Video Games With Progressive Metal Cover of “Overture (Excerpt From Halo Reach)”
Self-Titled Debut EP Out July 16th
Pictured – Joseph Knecht – Photo credit – Tristan Ahearn
New Jersey’s Joseph Knecht is releasing his debut EP, a self-titled record that is a concise sample of the music he has been writing over the past couple of years. A well-versed musician, he plays both originals and covers in a wide range of genres, primarily focusing on progressive metal. His first single off this upcoming EP is “Overture (Excerpt From Halo Reach)”, a dramatic rendition of the theme from the classic video game. He explains why he chose the track:
“This is my cover of the Overture from the game Halo Reach. It’s a much more hard-hitting aggressive take on the original. It’s part of a song composed by Martin O’ Donnell. My idea was to take the original which was for orchestra and rearrange it for a prog metal band. The original is such a cool-sounding piece and every time I’d hear it I’d always imagine a metal version. When I got my 8 string and decided to make this EP, covering this song and taking advantage of the extended range of the instrument seemed like the perfect fit.”
The six-track EP takes a wide sampling of Knecht’s skills and presents them to the listener in a concise, yet varied audio experience. All instruments on “Knecht'' were written and played by Knecht save for the drums, which are played by session musician Jason Stewart. The EP was mixed and mastered by Charles-Henry Volk.
Knecht is a lifelong musician, picking up piano at the age of five, since then he has learned to play guitar and bass and attended Berklee College of Music.
Predominantly prog with a hint of groove, “Knecht” is recommended for fans of Haken, Black Label Society, and Deep Purple.
“Overture (Excerpt From Halo Reach)” can be heard at the following links:
YouTube - https://youtu.be/wXg0SuMSqEQ Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3pzbHPv
”Knecht” will be available on all digital platforms on July 16, 2021.
Track Listing:
1. Transformation (4:50)
2. Tabernacle Jam (3:50)
3. Working Title (4:42)
4. Overture (Excerpt From Halo Reach) (3:42)
5. Summer Nights (3:16)
6. Destruction (5:09)
EP Length: 25:31
EP Recording Line Up:
Joseph Knecht – Guitar, Bass and Keyboards
Drums – Jason Stewart
EP Credits:
• All songs performed by: Joseph Knecht and Jason Stewart
• All songs written by: Joseph Knecht
• Produced by: Joseph Knecht
• Mixed by: Charles-Henry Volk
• Mastered by: Charles-Henry Volk
• Member ASCAP
For more info:
About:
Joseph Knecht, from Tabernacle, New Jersey, USA, has been playing music since he was a small child. He started out with piano when he was five and picked up the guitar a year later. Bass came along in high school and he attended Berklee College of Music to further his music education.
Looking to share the music he was writing and playing, he created his instrumental solo project Knecht, where he plays everything from classic rock to more modern progressive metal. He performs originals and covers as well as teaches private guitar lessons.
With influences rooted mainly in progressive and groove metal, he replaces vocals with sweeping, complex guitar melodies that are written like vocal melodies. A typical song starts with the rhythm, for him the rhythm guitars by themselves should be interesting and be able to garner attention through the piece. While he is doing this, he is thinking about what he might want the other instruments to be doing as well as keyboard sounds if there will be keyboards. For the drums, he will program a track for writing and recording purposes, but ultimately leaves it wide open for Jason Stewart.
Knecht’s debut self-titled EP is available on July 16, 2021. It features Jason Stewart on drums and was mixed and mastered by Charles-Henry Volk.
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