Axl Rose: Queen are the greatest band of all time

(Image credit: Paul Morigi - Getty)

Guns N’ Roses vocalist Axl Rose has called Queen the greatest band of all time and Freddie Mercury the best-ever frontman.

The singer was speaking to Atlas Etihad ahead of the band’s show in the UAE over the weekend, where they closed the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Asked who he thought deserved the accolade of the greatest frontman of all time, Rose responded: “For me, it’s easy. Queen is the greatest band and Freddie Mercury is the greatest frontman of all time. 

“The band are the greatest because they embraced so many different styles.”

Rose also reported that a film soundtrack is something he’d like to work on at some point in the future.

He says: “Listening to movie soundtracks is a big thing for me. When you listen to stuff like Pirates Of The Caribbean and you get that blend of orchestra and modern instrumentation – it’s very clever. 

“I have a lot of respect for the guys who do that. It is something that I would like to do at some point in the future.”

Guns N’ Roses played at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at London’s Wembley Stadium in April 1992, with Rose joining Queen and Elton John to perform Bohemian Rhapsody and later teamed up with Queen for We Will Rock You.

Guns N’ Roses had to cut their set short in Abu Dhabi after Axl battled through illness. He told the crowd that he had to have “a bunch of injections” and had been sick for hours before the show.

They managed to play for close to two hours, but called the show off after performing November Rain.

The band’s next live performance is scheduled for November 29 when they’ll play the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. Following that, GNR will play at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet in Honolulu on December 8.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.