Children of the Grave

"Children of the Grave" is a song by English heavy metal 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 Paranoid.

"Children of the Grave"
Single by Black Sabbath
from the album Master of Reality
B-side"Solitude"
ReleasedAugust 1971 (1971-08)[1]
RecordedIsland Studios, London, England
GenreHeavy metal
Length
  • 5:17 (album version)
  • 3:47 (single version)
LabelVertigo
Songwriter(s)Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward
Producer(s)Rodger Bain
Black Sabbath singles chronology
"After Forever"
(1971)		 "Children of the Grave"
(1971)		 "Iron Man"
(1971)

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
  1. "Children of the Grave" (Edit) – 3:47 [2]
  2. "Solitude" - 3:45

Legacy

"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]

Cover versions

White Zombie version
"Children of the Grave"
Single by White Zombie
from the album Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath
Released1994
Recorded1994
StudioEldorado Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California
GenreHeavy metal
Length5:47
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
White Zombie singles chronology
"I Am Hell"
(1993)		 "Children of the Grave"
(1994)		 "Feed the Gods"
(1994)

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
No.TitleLength
1."Children of the Grave"5:47
2."Children of the Grave" (Edit)3:51

Personnel
White Zombie
Production
  • Bryan Carlstrom – production
  • White Zombie – production
  • Bob Chiappardi – executive producer
  • Terry Date – mixing

Nepal version

The Argentine thrash metal band Nepal recorded a cover version of the song for their third studio album, Manifiesto (1997).[6]

Havok version

American thrash metal band Havok included a cover of the song on their third studio album, Unnatural Selection (2013).

Master version

American 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

English jazz trio Jazz Sabbath released an instrumental jazz rendition of this song on their 2020 self-titled debut album.

Racer X version

American 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
  1. "Children of the Grave single".
  2. "Children of the Grave single".
  3. Law, Sam (7 September 2020). "The 20 greatest Black Sabbath songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  4. Brannigan, Paul (22 November 2021). "Black Sabbath's 40 greatest songs ever". Louder Sound. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  5. "KNAC A to Z Listing". 5 March 2000. Archived from the original on 5 March 2000. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  6. "hmNepal.8m.com". Biography. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009.
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