Judas Priest have released their take on Black Sabbath’s classic ‘War Pigs’ - featuring vocals from the late, legendary Ozzy Osbourne.
And yes… it’s not lost on us that this timing is crazy, considering War Pigs just took out the #1 spot in The Rock 2000 countdown on Friday (Sept 26).
Originally, the cover started out as a simple tribute video. Priest wanted to salute Ozzy and Black Sabbath after they couldn’t join them at Ozzy's final gig at Villa Park due to a scheduling conflict.
Rather than sitting it out completely, they decided to honour Sabbath by releasing a cover of “War Pigs” to coincide with the celebration.
That tribute - shared across Black Sabbath’s socials - blew up instantly. Fans loved it. And apparently, so did Sharon Osbourne.
Speaking to Full Metal Jackie, Rob Halford said, “[Sharon] approached me with this idea, she said, 'I love your version of 'War Pigs.' Is there a way we can get Ozzy?' I was [like], 'You're asking me? This is gonna happen.'"
And it did. The release of the cover marks a pretty huge moment for heavy-metal fans, with it being the first-ever official duet between Rob Halford and Ozzy Osbourne.
"It's the first ever time in my entire life that I've been able to do a duet with Ozzy and I'm so eternally grateful and blessed that I was able to do that,” Halford said.
All proceeds from the track are going to The Glenn Tipton Parkinson’s Foundation and Cure Parkinson’s, making this release not only powerful but purposeful. Both bands have been personally touched by Parkinson’s, so this one hits close to home.
Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s back in 2018. He’s stepped back from touring but still records with the band and launched his own foundation to fund research and treatment. And of course, Ozzy Osbourne himself was open about his struggles with Parkinson’s disease in recent years.
According to Tipton's personal website, the Foundation has already raised over $150,000.
How epic to hear two of the biggest names in British metal joining forces one last time for a good cause.
