The five best Black Sabbath covers of all time
It’s happening: the best band in the world, the pioneers of heavy metal, and some of the most musically talented individuals of all time are finally calling it a day. The news was announced recently that Black Sabbath would be officially hanging up their microphones, drumsticks and guitars. However, before doing so, they would be having one last blowout, a proper send-off for one of the greatest bands to ever put a tune together.
It won’t be a Black Sabbath gig like people have previously known them. While the band wants to have a proper send-off and thank their fans, there is no escaping from the fact that time has done what it always will do: age people. Ozzy Osbourne isn’t the same standard of singer he used to be, and it’s therefore too much for him to try and do a full set without a bit of help.
This is a great attitude taken by Ozzy Osbourne for a few reasons. Firstly, the only reason the band are doing this gig is because they want to. It’s not like they need the money, so much so that profits are being donated to charity. They’re doing the gig because they love performing and, therefore, want to do it one more time. As such, it should be a show that they can enjoy, which means that pushing themselves to exhaustion doesn’t make sense.
Equally, there’s something inherently beautiful about the fact that for their final show, Black Sabbath will be playing in their hometown, where everything began, alongside all of the bands they inspired thanks to what they created there. In Birmingham, the band forged the beginning of heavy metal, and the acts they’re sharing a bill with took that foundation and continued to build upon it.
If you ever need proof of how much of an inspiration Black Sabbath are to so many, just listen to all of the different artists who have covered them. This isn’t limited to just metal bands either, as their influence can be felt throughout music. Here are some of the greatest Black Sabbath covers ever recorded.
The best Black Sabbath covers ever
T-Pain – ‘War Pigs’
T-Pain remains one of the most misunderstood artists in music. As someone who utilises autotune and the surreal impact it can have on a voice, he is often dubbed someone who can’t sing and who relies on autotune to perform, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. During many live performances, T-Pain has shown how powerful his voice is on its own, and on his 2023 album, On Top of The Covers, he tackles classics to really show off how powerful his pipes are.
On the album, he takes on songs such as ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’, ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ and ‘That’s Life’, but the highlight comes at the very end with his unbelievable cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’. There is nothing toned down about the performance, as T-Pain sings with vigour, and his band plays with the aggression and power of the best heavy metal bands. This is truly a cover for the ages.
Metallica – ‘Sabbra Cadabra’
One of the most exciting bands on the line-up for Black Sabbath’s farewell show is Metallica. While Black Sabbath set the stage for heavy metal, Metallica took to that stage and expanded upon it. They managed to bottle the passion of heavy metal and bring it to the masses, becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet in the process.
If you ever wonder why Metallica has become such a staple in the world of heavy metal, you should listen to their cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Sabbra Cadabra’, which is a true reflection of the power contained within their music. Metallica delivered every hard-hitting second with the anger and emotion that metal deserves and cemented themselves as one of the best to do it in the process.
System of a Down – ‘Snowblind’
There are two ways to approach a cover. You can stay true to it, paying homage to the band or artist that you like enough to play one of their songs. Alternatively, you can put your own spin on it, tearing it apart and putting it together in a way that better reflects who you are. System of a Down managed to do both on their cover of ‘Snowblind’.
Their version of the track is true to the original Black Sabbath, as the band manages to keep the heavy energy that Black Sabbath originally put in the song but delivers it in a way that is more familiar to fans of System of a Down. The sped-up vocals and iconic delivery of the words are undoubtedly by System, but the song has those Sabbath elements persistently protruding.
Type O Negative – ‘Paranoid’
When you break down the lyrics of ‘Paranoid’, it becomes clear that the song is a lot more depressing than the energy it lets on. The upbeat nature of the track makes it easy to mosh and nod your head to, but the words are rooted in trouble. “Basically, it’s just about depression,” explained Geezer Butler, “Because I didn’t really know the difference between depression and paranoia.”
With their cover of the song, Type O Negative takes this theme and doubles down on it. Their rendition of ‘Paranoid’ is much more representative of the theme, as it feels like it drags you down into the pits with it. It’s not fun to listen to, but it’s not supposed to be. It feels like depression put to sound and released.
Four Tet – ‘Iron Man’
Finally, while this cover might sound incredibly far removed from Black Sabbath in general, there is no escaping the fact that this version of ‘Iron Man’ by Four Tet is beautiful and deserves to be included on this list. Yes, there is no distortion or words, and it feels like it might not be by Black Sabbath at all, but their rendition is so sweet and melodic it can’t be ignored.
The song was recorded and released on a tribute album to Black Sabbath, on which artists were asked to put their own spins on their songs. Four Tet were incredibly true to their sound with this cover, and in being so unwavering, they made something properly special. It might not be a favourite amongst hardcore Black Sabbath fans, but it sounds great, undeniably.
