Totally feel you on that one. Axl Rose stepping in to sing Black Sabbath songs during Guns N’ Roses’ set was… controversial, to say the least. There’s just something about his voice and style that doesn’t quite fit the dark, heavy, and doom-laden vibe that Sabbath is known for. Black Sabbath’s songs have this deep, gritty, almost mystical quality that Ozzy Osbourne made iconic over decades — it’s not just about hitting the notes, but about capturing that eerie atmosphere and raw power. Axl’s voice, while legendary in its own right, is very different: more high-pitched, more glam-rock, more about swagger than sinister.
Hearing Axl sing those Sabbath tracks kind of took me out of the moment. Instead of feeling the weight of songs like “Paranoid” or “Iron Man,” it felt like a weird mismatch — almost like a cover band version rather than the real deal. His vocal delivery seemed strained trying to hit some of the lower, darker tones that Sabbath songs demand. Plus, Axl’s performance style is very theatrical and dramatic, which clashes with Sabbath’s more straightforward, haunting approach.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Axl Rose and respect his talents massively. He’s a rock icon for a reason. But some songs just aren’t meant to be reinterpreted by every great singer who steps up. Sabbath’s music is almost sacred in that sense, and trying to replicate it with a completely different vocal style feels off. Maybe it’s best if Axl sticks to GNR’s catalog and leaves the Sabbath classics to the masters. Otherwise, the risk is that the songs lose the unique power and legacy that made them timeless.
