Although singer Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton, Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis aren’t scheduled to perform at Saturday’s massive “Back To The Beginning” event in Birmingham, United Kingdom, they have paid tribute by recording a studio version of the 1970 “Paranoid” classic that they have used as PRIEST‘s walk-on music before hitting the stage. They have also released a performance video for the track, which can be seen below.

PRIEST said in a statement: “We are honored to show our love for Ozzy and BLACK SABBATH with our homage of ‘War Pigs’, 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!”

This past May, Halford said that he was “absolutely gutted” to have to miss the last BLACK SABBATH concert this summer. Noting that PRIEST is scheduled to play the 60th-anniversary show of German hard rock legends SCORPIONS in Hannover, Germany on July 5 — the same day that the SABBATH event will take place at Villa Park — Rob told Metal Hammer: “I had no idea (the SABBATH show) was happening. It all got announced and was a big deal — (the Hannover concert featuring) SCORPIONS and PRIEST — and suddenly I get this phone call (from Ozzy Osbourne‘s wife and manager Sharon Osbourne): ‘Robbie, I know you’ve got this gig with SCORPIONS, but could you consider coming over to do a thing with Ozzy and the guys. He’d love to see you.'”

Halford explained that trying to make both performances happen would be “dangerous”, adding: “Even with a private plane, there’s a word called ‘technical’, where something could go wrong, or the weather that time of year could cause problems… I was absolutely gutted.”

Acknowledging that K.K. Downing will perform at the Villa Park concert, Halford said that the founding PRIEST guitarist will represent “the spirit of the band”.

“All my mates are going to be there though, great bands and artists,” Rob added. “It’s a wonderful and epic moment for SABBATH and heavy metal — it re-emphasizes that Birmingham is where metal came from.”

Regarding PRIEST‘s choice of “War Pigs” as the walk-on music before gigs, Halford told Steve Newton of The Georgia Straight: “Yeah, that’s kind of a nod to these boys that we’ve known from day one. We’re from the same neck of the woods, and there’s a very strong friendship that still exists with us all. And it’s kind of a rallying cry, really. Even our fans know now that when they hear that song it’s almost time for PRIEST to hit the stage. It also gets our road crew to put the beer down and get ready for the show. Oh! It’s time! Yep, yep — put the beer down! Okay!”

JUDAS PRIEST have previously announced the dates for the “Shield Of Pain” 2025 European tour.

The 12-date trek will kick off on June 14, 2025 in Oslo, Norway and conclude on July 20, 2025 in Oberhausen, Germany.

Tour dates:
June 14 – Tjuvholmen Arena, Hamar, Oslo, Norway
June 17 – Schleyerhalle, Stuttgart, Germany
June 18 – Hessentag Festival, Frankfurt, Germany
July 01 – Summer Festival, Ferrara, Italy
July 03 – Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
July 07 – Atlas Arena, Lodz, Poland
July 10 – Dalhalla, Rattvik, Sweden
July 13 – Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
July 15 – Festival De Carcassone, Carcassonne, France
July 17 – Sion Sous Les Etoiles, Sion, Switzerland
July 19 – Rockhal, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
July 20 – Rudolf-Weber-Arena, Oberhausen, Germany