Paul Di’Anno is not satisfied with Tobias Forge‘s vocals on Ghost’s cover of Phantom Of The Opera. On the same day that Ghost’s Phantom became available, the former Iron Maiden lead vocalist commented in a since-deleted Facebook post:
“Everyone asking my opinion on the Ghost cover of Phantom well not that it matters, but it f*ckin sucks.”
The vocalist explained his opinion of Ghost’s cover in a subsequent interview with Loaded Radio. He stated:
“The music’s great. I just don’t think Tobias fucking tried hard enough vocally. He sounds a bit plain… And he changed the lyrics slightly… That was a bit weird.”
Although his initial comments were scathing, it seems that Di’Anno’s main criticisms were Tobias’ vocal performance and the altered lyrics. He continued:
“When I first heard it, I was probably in a bad mood that day. I said, ‘This is fucking bullshit.’ But I’ve listened to it about three or four times. [The music is] pretty damn good, actually, to be honest with you. But as I said, I just feel like Tobias didn’t give it some welly [using British slang for ‘energy’], as we say… Give me some fucking well.”
It appears that Paul revised his opinion of the song after several listens and was in a better mood. Even though he appreciates the music, he remains critical of Tobias’ performance:
“As I said, I just wish he’d put a bit more effort into the vocals. That’s all.”
Despite his views on Tobias’ vocal performance on the cover, Di’Anno clarified that his harsh criticism wasn’t due to personal animosity against Ghost or Tobias. He explained:
“Regardless of what you think of Ghost, I’m very happy for them. Maybe I was just pissed off with life [that day], as usual. The older I get, the grumpier I am. Fucking great. Once you get over 50, you’ve got every fucking right to say what you want.
You can reach the transcribed interview by clicking here.