an offering of celebration
“Black Sabbath invented heavy metal and in doing so, they changed the world,” guitarist Mark Morton says of performing Master of Reality classic at Back to the Beginning concert
Just hours after Lamb of God took the stage at Ozzy Osbourne’s Back to the Beginning farewell concert — where they covered Black Sabbath’s “Children of the Grave” — the band has released a studio version of the Master of Reality track.
“Lamb of God being invited to perform with Black Sabbath at their final show is one of the greatest honors of our career,” Lamb of God lead guitarist Mark Morton said in a statement. “As an offering to the celebration, we’ve recorded our take on their classic ‘Children of the Grave,’ a protest song with lyrics that are as relevant today as they were in 1971 when the original was released.”
The all-star Back to the Beginning concert in Osbourne’s hometown of Birmingham, England featured dozens of heavy metal and hard rock giants performing mini-sets that included unique renditions of Black Sabbath and Osbourne staples; Metallica covered Black Sabbath’s “Hole in the Sky” and “Johnny Blade,” while Guns N’ Roses’ Sabbath-filled set included “It’s Alright,” “Never Say Die,” “Junior’s Eyes,” and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.”
Other covers at Villa Park Saturday included Tool playing “Hand of Doom,” Anthrax tackling “Into the Void,” Pantera appropriately performing their heralded rendition of “Planet Caravan,” Slayer delivering “Wicked World,” and Lamb of God’s “Children of the Grave.”
“Black Sabbath invented heavy metal and in doing so, they changed the world,” Morton continued. “This genre that they created brings immeasurable joy to fans all over the world. We are so grateful to have the heavy metal community to call our home, and so grateful to Black Sabbath for the gift of their music that they’ve given to all of us.”
The Back to the Beginning concert concluded with a five-song Osbourne solo set followed by the four core members of Black Sabbath reuniting for the final time for a five-song set of the band’s classics, including “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” and “Paranoid.”
