Judas Priest released this Friday, the 26th, a new version of the classic "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath , featuring vocals by Ozzy Osbourne , who died on July 22nd . The track was recorded days before Ozzy's retirement from the stage, when the musician participated in Black Sabbath 's farewell show , which took place on July 5th at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
All profits earned in the United Kingdom by the labels Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd and Epic Records , from audio streaming, downloads, and physical sales of the recording, will be donated to The Glenn Tipton Parkinson's Foundation and Cure Parkinson’s .
In an interview with the radio program Full Metal Jackie , Halford had already spoken about the new version with Ozzy Osbourne [via Loudwire ]: “What’s cool and what’s kind of waiting for us is Ozzy singing 'War Pigs' with me. We managed to do it. It’s there, we just need to go through all the bureaucracy of the legal clearance and everything else.”
Sharon Osbourne contacted Halford shortly after hearing the Judas Priest tribute with “War Pigs.” “She approached me with an idea and said, ‘I loved your version of ‘War Pigs.’ Is there any way we could get Ozzy?’ I was like, ‘You’re asking me? This is going to happen,’” confessed Rob Halford.
The Judas Priest vocalist added: “So you see Ozzy singing a line, and I sing a line, and Ozzy sings a line, and I sing a line. It’s the first time in my life I’ve been able to do a duet with Ozzy, and I’m eternally grateful and blessed to have been able to. When you hear Priest’s ‘War Pigs’ with Ozzy singing on that track, it’s like you go to a really special place.”
Judas Priest released a cover of "War Pigs".
Judas Priest released an official cover version of Black Sabbath . The release, which included a music video, is a tribute preceding the final show of the heavy metal legends.
Rob Halford and his band recorded the studio version of the track from the album Paranoid (1970). “War Pigs” is the song the band uses as an introduction at Judas Priest concerts. The music video also features guitarist Glenn Tipton , a long-time member who has been absent due to an advanced Parkinson's disease diagnosis.
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