"Children of the Grave" is a song by English rock band Black Sabbath, from their 1971 album Master of Reality. The song lyrically continues with the same anti-war themes brought on by "War Pigs" and "Electric Funeral" from the band's previous album Paranoid.
| "Children of the Grave" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Black Sabbath | ||||
| from the album Master of Reality | ||||
| B-side | "Solitude" | |||
| Released | August 1971[1] | |||
| Recorded | Island Studios, London, England | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Vertigo | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward | |||
| Producer(s) | Rodger Bain | |||
| Black Sabbath singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song has been featured on a number of greatest hits and live albums by Black Sabbath, as well as by the band's lead vocalist Ozzy Osbourne during his solo career.
Track listing
edit- "Children of the Grave" (Edit) – 3:47 [2]
- "Solitude" - 3:45
Legacy
edit"Children of the Grave" is widely considered one of Black Sabbath's greatest songs. In 2020, Kerrang ranked the song number six on their list of the 20 greatest Black Sabbath songs,[3] and in 2021, Louder Sound ranked the song number five on their list of the 40 greatest Black Sabbath songs.[4] The song was used in the 2022 film Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe.
Cover versions
editWhite Zombie version
edit| "Children of the Grave" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by White Zombie | ||||
| from the album Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Recorded | 1994 | |||
| Studio | Eldorado Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 5:47 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| White Zombie singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The band White Zombie covered "Children of the Grave" (with slightly altered lyrics) for the Black Sabbath tribute album Nativity in Black. It was later released as a promo single in 1994. The cover did not chart, but did receive some radio airplay on active rock stations in America.[5]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Children of the Grave" | 5:47 |
| 2. | "Children of the Grave" (Edit) | 3:51 |
Personnel
edit- White Zombie
- Rob Zombie – vocals
- Jay Yuenger – guitar
- Sean Yseult – bass
- Phil Buerstatte – drums
- Production
- Bryan Carlstrom – production
- White Zombie – production
- Bob Chiappardi – executive producer
- Terry Date – mixing
Nepal version
editThe Argentine thrash metal band Nepal recorded a cover version of the song for their third studio album, Manifiesto (1997).[6]
Havok version
editAmerican thrash metal band Havok included a cover of the song on their third studio album, Unnatural Selection (2013).
Master version
editAmerican death metal band Master covered the song for their 1990 debut album Master. Whilst keeping the clean finger picking intro of Embryo and the opening build up, the rest of the cover is more similar to the style of Venom.
Jazz Sabbath version
editEnglish jazz trio Jazz Sabbath released an instrumental jazz rendition of this song on their 2020 self-titled debut album.
Racer X version
editAmerican heavy metal band Racer X covered this song and released it as a bonus track in the European/Japanese edition of the album Technical Difficulties (1999).
References
edit- ^ "Children of the Grave single".
- ^ "Children of the Grave single".
- ^ Law, Sam (7 September 2020). "The 20 greatest Black Sabbath songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ Brannigan, Paul (22 November 2021). "Black Sabbath's 40 greatest songs ever". Louder Sound. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ "KNAC A to Z Listing". 5 March 2000. Archived from the original on 5 March 2000. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "hmNepal.8m.com". Biography. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009.