Covenant Dance

Covenant Dance
Album:	Halo: Original Soundtrack
Composer(s):	Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori
Length:	01:57
Previous:	Devils... Monsters...
Next:	Alien Corridors

Covenant Dance is the fourteenth track included in the Halo: Original Soundtrack.

Overview

As its name implies, the piece is carried by a strong dance beat. At 00:16, the beat becomes underlaid to a more dominant snare-drum beat. Starting at 00:30, a variation of the Halo theme, followed by long ascending notes, which consists of the monkish chorus in time to the beat. At 00:52, the beat and chant grind to a halt and are replaced by a less regular synth beat, still following a tempo matching the drum beat. At 01:08, a higher synth melody arises to follow the new synth beat. At 01:15, the drumbeat starts up again. At 01:31, the chant returns, but shortly disappears again. Soon after, the drum and synth follow it, allowing the song to smoothly conclude. The piece was rearranged into Choreographite in the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary: Original Soundtrack.

Appearances

It can be heard:

• In the level The Truth and Reconciliation, when John-117 and Fire Team Charlie are ambushed after boarding the Truth and Reconciliation.
• In the level Assault on the Control Room, when John-117 opens the first blast door to the control room of Installation 04
• In the level Two Betrayals, when John-117 encounters the first battle between the Covenant and the Flood.
• In the opening cutscene of the level Keyes.

The opening percussion plays in the Halo 2 level The Great Journey, when Arbiter Thel 'Vadam enters the cavern area in the Bastion of the Brutes.

Production notes

• This track is a partial remake of Alexander Seropian's Leela theme heard in the first Marathon game.
• The track adopted the following instruments and patches/samples:
  • E-MU Proteus 2000:
    • Miya Daiko (Additional Drums, Protozoa ROM)
    • 082-0 GulaGula (Synth Bass, Protozoa ROM)
    • 041-3 Snares 1 (Snare, Composer ROM)
  • E-MU PRO/CUSSION: 082 Sarengeti (Main Drums)
  • E-MU E4XT Ultra for Martin O'Donnell’s vocals