Swedish rock band Horizont has released their latest single, a cover of Phil Everly’s “Lion and the Lamb,” reworked in their trademark driving hard rock style.
The group, known for their fusion of 70s rock styles like prog, blues rock, hard rock, and New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBH), are right at home with this deep cut from the former Everly Brother, released in 1975 after the legendary rockabilly duo had separated and Phil Everly explored the hard rock sounds popular in the era, trading brotherly close harmonies for overdriven guitars, pounding drums, and arena-filling choruses.
They recorded it at Let Them Swing Studios, a reconstructed barn in the isolated countryside outside of Gothenburg, Sweden, which the band described as “an ideal place to make noise 24/7.”
Horizont manages to up the ante significantly with their version, with a far more orchestrated and intricate arrangement that lends a sense of heightened drama furthered by the even more extreme hard rock sounds of the guitars and production. Their take begins with a massive guitar riff that isn’t present in Everly’s original and propels the song forward throughout, mimicking the vocal melody. It gives the song the epic highwire act feel of late 70s melodic hard rock and early NWOBHM.
Vocalist Axel matches this intensity with his throwback voice reminiscent of any number of hard rock and prog gods, turning every song into an anthem. While Everly’s original was throaty and powerful, it couldn’t fill arenas like this one can.
“Lion and the Lamb” follows Horizont’s last single, “Sheldon Churchyard,” a cover of the song by Larry Jon Wilson. This batch of singles come after their 2020 album Sudden Death.
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