Judas Priest have confirmed the existence of an official cover of Black Sabbath‘s ‘War Pigs’ with Ozzy Osbourne that was recorded before his death.
- READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne, 1948-2025: culture-smashing revolutionary that redefined rock and reality TV
The reveal was made on a recent episode of the Full Metal Jackie podcast. During the show, Rob Halford said: “What is cool and what is kind of waiting in the wings is Ozzy singing with me, doing ‘War Pigs’ together. We’ve been able to do that, it’s there – we’re just going through the rigamarole of legal clearance.”
He continued: “Ozzy’s singing a line and then I’m singing a line, and Ozzy’s singing a line and I’m singing a line. 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.”
As for how the track came together, Halford revealed that Sharon Osbourne approached the band after hearing their cover in early July: “She 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!’”
While Priest have yet to announce an official release date for the duet with Ozzy, Halford said “the green button’s almost ready to go” and “it’s gonna be pretty soon.” As for what fans can expect from the larger-than-life team up, he explained: “When you hear it, it’s just colossal.”
He continued: “You think that you’ve heard the one experience of Priest’s ‘War Pigs,’ but when you hear Priest’s ‘War Pigs’ with Ozzy singing on that track, it’s just going to a really special place.”
In early July, ahead of Ozzy’s and Black Sabbath’s final-ever show dubbed ‘Back To The Beginning’, Judas Priest – who were unable to play at the star-studded farewell gig due to scheduling conflicts – paid homage with a cover of ‘War Pigs’.
Ozzy would sadly die on July 22, just 17 days after the ‘Back To The Beginning’ gig. Following his death, Halford reflected on hearing of the tragic news: “Oh, man. I got a call the day [Ozzy’s death] happened. I just put the phone down in my hotel room in — I think I was in Leeds, in England, and I just curled up in a ball and bawled my eyes out for hours. I just couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it now. I’m still grieving, like so many people.”
Ozzy was laid to rest at a private ceremony in Buckinghamshire, which was attended by Elton John, members of Metallica and more. Ozzy’s death certificate lists his cause of death as a heart attack, while also mentioning that he was suffering from coronary heart disease and Parkinson’s. It also listed his occupation as “Songwriter, Performer and Rock Legend”.
