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Queen rocker Brian May is more impressed by current singer Adam Lambert's vocal abilities than he was by their iconic frontman Freddie Mercury.

The group's classic line-up of Brian, Freddie, drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon made them one of rock's most loved acts, but Freddie tragically died from complications from the AIDS virus in 1991.

Queen initially cut back on touring, and John quit, but the remaining members played with guest vocalists and Free singer Paul Rogers, before settling on Adam as a frontman in 2011.

Brian is full of praise for their current singer, and even thinks Adam's singing abilities compare favourably to Freddie's famously extensive vocal range.

"Now, with Adam, it's a different story, because Adam can do all the stuff that Freddie did and more. It doesn't matter what you throw at Adam – he can do it," he tells Guitar World magazine.

Gushing over the singer, he adds: "He's a born exhibitionist. He's not Freddie, and he's not pretending to be him, but he has a parallel set of equipment. He knows how to deal with an audience. He teases and taunts an audience quite naturally, without thinking about it."

Although some fans have been critical of Adam, Brian is adamant that he and Roger regard him as being as natural a rock star as Freddie.

"Adam lives and breathes that stuff," he explains."Adam is style, and that's not to say he's not content as well. He's a born rock star and frontman, so it's a very vibrant relationship we have with him. We treat Adam exactly the same as we treated Freddie in almost every way."