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Night Hawkin – War Pigs

Pat Finnerty | July 31, 2025

Written by Pat Finnerty

Comments

This post currently has 34 comments.

  1. @marks6051

    July 31, 2025 at 4:47 am

    I always thought that sped-up ending stunk. You're pontificating on the horrors of war, and suddenly Benny Hill is leading the troops.

  2. @fifteen8b

    July 31, 2025 at 4:47 am

    Pat, man. I'm bummed you missed the whole dom/flat 7th thing. You nailed the major third. The major third is crucial – i lost a bet once cause I figured Sabbath, minor pentatonic, but no, they're major thirds all over the place. But Ozzy's melody is all happy major scale going up in the odd lines. Even lines, he's Dom 7th with flat 5th blues note (and I think touches a minor third) coming down. That's what makes the evil come back in. The bass you love is the Dom 7th too. One thing this reminds me of is the bass line in Tempus Fugit (Yes). It's a minor third going up but major third coming down which makes it sound so awesome. Beato. My fave part of War Pigs has always been the evil chromatic part with Bill Ward's frenetic drumming. I never really liked rhyming masses with masses though. The one slight imperfection that makes it human.

  3. @angelotro

    July 31, 2025 at 4:47 am

    I saw Faith No More open for Metallica in 1989. Hetfield came out and played guitar on their cover of "War Pigs"…'cause he could.😎

  4. @MostlyElectrolytes

    July 31, 2025 at 4:47 am

    It's a great song with a billion great things about it…I might be the biggest Ozzy fan ever, but even as a hack guitarist myself, this is THE song that made me love Bill Ward.

  5. @lewiswhatley687

    July 31, 2025 at 4:47 am

    In the verse, Ozzy only sings the major 3rd whilst ascending. On 'just like witches at black masses', 'hand of God has struck the hour', and so on, he sings the minor 3rd before the final syllable of the line. I don't think that was intentional on his part, but it does demonstrate a great natural understanding of which intervals work best and where. A really clever little bit of songwriting.

    Also the bit where you harmonise Toni's solo at the end sounds more like Thin Lizzy to me than Maiden, but I guess that's because Maiden got the harmonies from them.

    Also also, in answer to the guy from the beginning who wanted to know why Hole in the Sky sounds strange, it's because Toni used to tune down to C# standard sometimes, more so after the first three albums. That riff sounds like it should be played on the E string, but it's actually played on the A string tuned down to F#.

  6. @isitrealgood

    July 31, 2025 at 4:47 am

    Ever wonder why the song was constructed the way it was? The opening chords, and major thirds, and air-raid siren, create a fanfare. If it were a movie, you could run credits against a backdrop of "Nazi Germany Blitzkrieg over map of England". And then the first and third verses with just the power chord stabs, with Ozzy singing accompanied only by Bill's high hat, almost like a beat poet, and then the second verse, with the groove, Tony's guitar has kind of an R&B horn section kind of feel, the trombones with that slide down. The solo at the end has kind of a choral effect. Sure, it's one of the f-n songs, but if you do it, you have to play it well. Full stop.

  7. @doobiouscannibis

    July 31, 2025 at 4:47 am

    In reference to Your Love… Yep, guilty as charged. That was my job in the cover band. The original singer played the bass, too, though… JS lol.

    Ps, my falsetto is 👌 😅

  8. @thunderboltll

    July 31, 2025 at 4:47 am

    I know this is the coldest take in modern music, but its crazy hearing Pat play parts of War Pigs that become Puddle of Mud, Smashing Pumpkins, and Iron Maden. Listening to Black Sabbath really is like looking at the first mammals and being like "its crazy those guys have legs and lungs and ears". Their influence just doesnt go away.

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