THE BEAST

Judas Priest Pays Powerful Tribute to Black Sabbath with "War Pigs" Cover Ahead of Historic Farewell Show

In a stunning show of reverence and solidarity, Judas Priest has released an official cover of Black Sabbath’s legendary anthem “War Pigs,” just days ahead of Sabbath’s final concert event, Back to the Beginning, set for this Saturday in Birmingham, UK.

The studio version of “War Pigs,” originally from Sabbath’s monumental 1970 album Paranoid, arrives with a compelling performance video and has long served as Judas Priest’s walk-on music at concerts. While Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Richie Faulkner, Andy Sneap, Ian Hill, and Scott Travis aren’t slated to perform at the massive Villa Park sendoff, the metal icons made it clear that their hearts are in Birmingham this weekend.

“We are honored to show our love for Ozzy and Black Sabbath with our homage of ‘War Pigs,’” Priest said in a statement. “It’s a song we play at every show around the world that fans sing along to, reinforcing their love as well for the legendary Prince Of Darkness!”

The timing of the tribute couldn’t be more poignant. Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford revealed in May that he was “absolutely gutted” to miss the historic Sabbath event due to a prior commitment with the Scorpions for their 60th-anniversary concert in Hannover, Germany — taking place on the same night.

“Even with a private plane, there’s a word called ‘technical’, where something could go wrong,” Halford told Metal Hammer. “I was absolutely gutted.”

Despite not being physically present, Halford emphasized that K.K. Downing, founding Priest guitarist, will be appearing at the Sabbath finale, helping represent "the spirit of the band" during the momentous celebration.

The Back to the Beginning concert — which sold out in under 10 minutes back in February — will reunite Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward for their first full performance together in 20 years. It's a moment of immense significance not just for Sabbath fans, but for the global heavy metal community.

The show’s lineup reads like a heavy metal fantasy draft, featuring Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Alice In Chains, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Anthrax, and Mastodon. There will also be a jaw-dropping supergroup performance with members from Guns N’ Roses, Rage Against the Machine, Smashing Pumpkins, Korn, Disturbed, Faith No More, Quiet Riot, and more — all uniting to honor Sabbath’s massive legacy.

For Halford, Sabbath has always been more than just another band. In interviews over the years, he’s praised Sabbath’s 1970 self-titled debut as the record that defined heavy metal’s DNA — a sentiment he echoed in a 2023 interview where he named it as the one album he'd take with him to a desert island.

“Here was the first example of what heavy-metal music should sound like — just the texture, the tone, the structure, Ozzy's very unique voice,” Halford once told Rolling Stone. “It’s become a very important record in the discography of Black Sabbath.”

Halford’s personal history with Sabbath is rich and storied. In 1992, he famously stepped in for Ronnie James Dio at the Costa Mesa shows of Ozzy’s "No More Tours" tour, and in 2004, joined Sabbath members at Ozzfest when Ozzy was sidelined with bronchitis.

And when asked what Sabbath track left the deepest impact on him, Halford didn’t hesitate: “Black Sabbath.”

“It’s the most evil song ever written,” he said with a laugh. “It’s very fucking scary… There’s something very malevolent about it.”

As the heavy metal world turns its eyes to Birmingham for Sabbath’s final bow, Judas Priest’s new rendition of “War Pigs” stands as both a salute and a statement: the gods of metal may retire, but their legacy will forever march on — and their contemporaries, like Priest, will carry that torch with thunderous pride.

Watch the official “War Pigs” tribute video below and prepare for the ultimate celebration of heavy metal history.

Photo credit: Andy "Elvis" McGovern