In a monumental posthumous collaboration, Judas Priest is set to release a special charity version of their cover of the Black Sabbath classic “War Pigs,” featuring the iconic voice of Ozzy Osbourne himself. The track, which will be released tomorrow, September 26, will see all profits donated to Parkinson’s disease research foundations.
The special release brings together two of heavy metal’s most legendary voices for a final, powerful statement. All profits from streams, downloads, and physical sales of the recording will be donated to The Glenn Tipton Parkinson’s Foundation—founded by Priest‘s own guitarist who is battling the disease—and the charity Cure Parkinson’s.
In a recent interview, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford reflected on his friend’s character, describing a man whose generosity was as immense as his talent.
“He gave everything on stage. When he walked out on the stage, he was always beaming. He loved his fans with such an extraordinary passion, but that existed offstage as well,” Halford told the Full Metal Jackie radio show. “Whenever I’d see him… the first thing he would say to me was, ‘Did you have a good time? Did you enjoy yourself? Was it great?’ And so that part of him as a person — he was always giving stuff. He was always giving out. He wasn’t a taking kind of a guy.”
He also credited the reality show The Osbournes for allowing the world to see the man behind the myth. “He became our friend. You may not have ever met Ozzy, but you knew him as a family guy… And I think that that’s what drew him even further into us with our love for Ozzy Osbourne and everything that he’s left us with.”
Judas Priest originally released their own version of “War Pigs” in July as a tribute to Black Sabbath, as they were unable to attend the “Back To The Beginning” farewell concert due to a prior touring commitment.
“It was a really difficult thing to say, ‘I can’t do it,’ but that was just the way the chips fell,” Halford explained. “However, we were there in spirit… and probably even more important, the Priest homage to Black Sabbath with our… Judas Priest playing Black Sabbath‘s ‘War Pigs‘ to about as close as we possibly could. ‘Cause you don’t mess with a song like that. You give it the sounds that you have… and you do it in respect, and you do it in a way of saying thank you.”
