In June 2022, DEAF RAT will be opening up as the support act for heavy metal icons Judas Priest in the world famous outdoor arena Dalhalla in Sweden. While waiting for the world to open up for live shows to happen again, the band is releasing a cover version of the classic Madonna hit “Like A Prayer”. Check out the video below.
Vocalist Frankie Rich states: “To make the decision to record a classic hit song that sold millions of copies all over the world may sound like a great idea at first, but it sure comes with a lot of challenges. When you take on a song that has touched so many hearts and souls during so many years, there will be just as many opinions as there will be listeners.”
“Like A Prayer”, which has been released 1989, is one of Madonna’s bestsellers and most popular songs to date. Furthermore at time of release it entered single charts in various countries on #1 (e.g. US, UK) and #2 ( e.g. DE, NL) and similar positions in a lot of other countries worldwide and has been part of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “Top 500 – best songs of all times”.
Most important was to understand the song. “I always treat other artists’ creations and work with great respect”, Frankie continues. “It’s important to understand the song and understand the work behind it before you start taking things apart. On a well produced song like this, all details on the recording are there for a reason, and they are all played in a certain way for a reason. The biggest challenge for us was to find a way to create something that sounded like Deaf Rat, while keeping much of the parts that the vocals and instruments play on the original track. Three years ago, we had somewhat of a dead period with a lot of setbacks during 10 months. The spirit inside the band was not the best. I saw that we needed to focus on something together so I did some demos of cover songs on my own and brought it forward to the rest of the band. Luckily, the rest of the guys grasped on to it and we were able to turn our built up frustration into fuel for creativity in the studio instead. If we had not entered the studio and worked on this song together, chances are big the band would not be around today.”
DEAF RAT released the album “Ban The Light” in late 2019 through AFM Records which received great reviews from the metal press and followed with their latest single “Within The Dead Souls” in October 2020. Just before Covid-19 struck the world, the band confirmed not only the support show with Judas Priest, but also a 15 show European tour together with Swedish fellow classic rock act H.E.A.T.
DEAF RAT is, in the truest sense of the word, one of Sweden’s most explosive live acts. The many years of touring and studio experience have taught the band to harness that fire and transfer it to tape. The band hails from Dalarna in Sweden, a small region with long traditions of mining, steel industry, music and a healthy dose of DIY attitude. Dalarna is the home of bands such as PAIN, Sabaton, Scar Symmetry & Twilight Force.
DEAF RAT is band that fills up the cracks in the ageing concrete between old school and modern hard rock. Lead vocalist Frankie Rich and guitarists Pat Kramer and Max Lander spent the last eight years together touring Europe in minivans without air condition, sleeping on the floors of fans’ apartments and sometimes even living in their recording studio to afford production costs for tours and albums.
The song is available on all streaming platforms HERE.
