Black Sabbath’s final live concert last Saturday saw Birmingham’s heavy metal pioneers at long last bow out of the music business. But as countless top-tier rock bands took to the stage to tribute Ozzy and co., fellow Birmingham metal icons Judas Priest upped the hype when they dedicated their very own cover of Sabbath’s 1970 album-opener, “War Pigs.”
This unexpected cover went instantly viral when it was posted to Black Sabbath’s official YouTube page, now standing at an incredible 2.5 million views within just five days of reaching the site.
With rich distortions, crisp drum tones, and terror-charged air raid sirens, Judas Priest’s cover cleanly ranks amongst the cream of the crop. Rob Halford, 73 years young, takes on Ozzy’s lyrics in his own legendary voice, his energy as fresh as in Priest’s 1980s heyday and absolutely fantastic to witness. Clad in spiked and chained black leather, Judas Priest bleed the retro and modern colors of metal into one unstoppable creation.
It’s a pretty straight cover, but Judas Priest nevertheless twine their own sound into the crevices of Sabbath’s hit, supercharging the riffs, making subtle alterations here and there which launch the tune straight into the 21st century.
Yet, the Vietnam War-inspired lyrical message behind “War Pigs” rings out more vividly than ever before, proving the undying legacy of Black Sabbath’s music: “Politicians hide themselves away / They only started the war / Why should they go out to fight? / They leave that all to the poor.”
Judas Priest weren’t the only stars to cover Ozzy Osbourne’s greatest hits in time for the band’s final bow. Jack Black’s unhinged School of Rock rendition of “Mr. Crowley” went just as viral – check it out in the video above!
The final Black Sabbath concert, entitled “Back To The Beginning,” saw a constellation of the world’s top metal bands come together to send Ozzy out in unforgettable style: Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Mastodon… it’s like flicking through the pages of Metal Hammer magazine and realizing all your fave hell-raisers are friends with each other; all inspired by the leviathan force of Black Sabbath.
What an era we’re living in to watch these heavy metal greats pay the ultimate tribute to their forerunners. For a genre as commercially savage and sadistic as metal, these recent Black Sabbath tributes form some of the most wholesome moments imaginable to any rock fan out there. Morbidly speaking, it’s almost as if the metal scene is coalescing to celebrate Ozzy Osbourne’s wake while he’s still alive and able to appreciate the phenomenal impact he’s made on the music scene since Sabbath’s world-changing 1970 debut.
Judas Priest’s electrifying tribute to Black Sabbath has become a milestone in rock history, capturing the raw essence of metal and paying homage to their legendary peers. With their viral cover of “War Pigs,” they’ve given fans an unforgettable experience that cements their status as icons of the genre.
