DISTURBED's DAVID DRAIMAN Says FREDDIE MERCURY Was 'The Greatest Frontman That The World Has Ever Seen'

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman recently spoke to U.K.'s Planet Rock about his singing technique, saying that he has always "tried to approach how I do what I do the same way that I feel that the great vocalists of all time would have approached it, whether it's [Rob] Halford or [Ronnie James] Dio. I try to be as pure and as direct and as resonant as I possibly can within my own respective abilities," he explained. "Not that I'm anywhere close to either one of those two — they're human freaks of nature. May one of them rest in peace and may the other stay with us for many, many years to come. Between the two of them in particular, you're talking about two of the greatest voices of all time. Certainly not to not include what, in my opinion, was one of the greatest vocalists to ever sing, but the greatest frontman that the world has ever seen, Freddie Mercury. His range, his charisma, his presence — everything about him — just the quintessential frontman."

Draiman also talked in more detail about his appreciation for Dio, saying that the legendary heavy metal singer "humbled" him about his vocal abilities.

"One time I went to see him in Chicago at the House Of Blues and was fortunate enough to go backstage and say hello," David recalled. "And he's doing his usual — he's got a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. And I was just so taken with the opportunity to meet him — one of my greatest sources of inspiration and an idol of mine; one of the most majestic rock voices that ever existed. And I pulled him to the side for a minute. I'm, like, 'Ronnie, could I ask you a question?' 'Sure. What would you like to ask?' 'What do you do for your warm-up? How do you get ready for the show?' And he goes ahead and puts his hand on my shoulder and he looks me in the eyes and he says, 'Brother, if you have to warm up, you don't have it.' [Laughs] And I was crushed. I literally felt like four inches tall at the time. And he said that he was messing with me. But literally, the man never warmed up — the wine and the cigarettes was the warm-up. So, God bless him and his memory. I have nothing but the highest level of reverence for the memory and the legacy of Mr. Ronnie James Dio."

DISTURBED is currently in the midst of an international tour, though they did recently come home for show-stealing performances in Columbus (Sonic Temple Art & Music Fest) and Oklahoma (Rocklahoma). Upcoming dates include shows in Russia, Poland, Israel, Prague, Athens and more.