Judas Priest are still hoping to release their collaborative cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” featuring the late Ozzy Osbourne.
During a recent appearance on the Full Metal Jackie podcast, Rob Halford detailed the recording process and the unique dynamic created when recording with Osbourne prior to his death. The duet was a significant moment for Halford, who had never collaborated directly with Osbourne on a recording until then.
“Ozzy’s singing a line and then I’m singing a line, and Ozzy’s singing a line and I’m singing a line,” Halford explained. “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.”
The collaboration came about through Sharon Osbourne’s intervention, who approached Halford after witnessing Judas Priest’s live performances of the Black Sabbath classic. The band has incorporated “War Pigs” into their setlist at various points throughout their career, developing their own distinctive interpretation of the song.
“She approached me with this idea, she said, ‘I love your version of War Pigs. Is there a way we can get Ozzy?'” Halford recalled. “I was [like], ‘You’re asking me? This is gonna happen!'”
The recording sessions produced what Halford describes as an exceptional result, with the Judas Priest vocalist expressing considerable enthusiasm about the final product. The collaboration builds upon the band’s existing arrangement while incorporating Osbourne’s distinctive vocal style.
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“When you hear it, it’s just colossal,” Halford stated. “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.”
The release is currently awaiting final clearances, with Halford indicating that the approval process is nearly complete. While he did not provide specific dates for the official release, he suggested fans won’t have to wait much longer.
“The green button’s almost ready to go,” Halford confirmed. “It’s gonna be pretty soon.”
