5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #175

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Get What's Coming, by Rival Sons

This is one of the songs that initially got me into Rival Sons in the first place. The way it builds up to a pseudo-Deep Purple kind of blues swing with balls makes me want to bang my head and dance around the room. This is another song where the band really seems to know when to pull back so that the next moment can have that much more impact. That's the thing with music. It's not always about what you play. Some times it's what you DON'T play that makes something amazing.

2. Don't Fear the Reaper (in the style of Ghost), by Anthony Vincent and Erock

So in case you guys don't know, these two guys are pretty well known musicians on YouTube. They both have their gimmicks, but they are genuinely talented people. This collaboration they recently did together where they did a Blue Oyster Cult classic in the style of modern metal band Ghost works surprisingly well. It feels like such a grand, yet heavy and melodic production that it feels like you are witnessing an event. Definitely worth checking out.

3. Flash of the Blade, by Iron Maiden

A while back I posted the Avenged Sevenfold cover of this classic, but I figured it was time to share the original. This is Iron Maiden in their prime and it shows. They were firing on all cylinders here and they were not about to slow down for anyone or anything. This song is so full of fire, passion, and raw fury that it makes you want to pretend you are up on stage, air guitar, and bang your head until your neck is sore for days.

4. Crystal Light, by UFO

If you need a quick break from the hard rocking though, this UFO ballad should have you covered. It might be an acoustic tune, but it has this sway and flow to it that makes you feel all caught up in it. You kind of forget the world for a moment by closing your eyes, putting this on, and humming along (especially to the harmonized humming parts). It's also a lot of fun to play on guitar too. Great for learning to do arpeggios.

5. Caught in the Middle, by Dio

This has to be one of my absolute favorite songs that Ronnie James Dio ever did during his solo career. That riff combined with the thundering of the rhythm section and Dio's soaring vocal melodies and delicious harmonies makes this a classic in my book. Why it never was a big radio hit or even a well known metal classic is beyond me. Sonically it is incredibly pleasing. It has that heavy metal punch while still maintaining catchy melody.