Greta Van Fleet - Anthem Of The Peaceful Army

Greta Van Fleet - Anthem of the Peaceful Army (2018)

Genre: Hard Rock

In an era where some back to basics classic rock would be very much appreciated, it's a shame to see that the one band to rise up and give us the goods is relegated to being a Led Zep wannabe and mostly fails. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

After coming away pleasantly surprised by some of their singles back in 2017 like Highway Tune and Safari Song, I saw promise, but I wasn't unaware of the uncanny similarity to Zeppelin, especially in Josh Kiszka's wailing vocals. I hoped that by the time they rolled out with their first proper album, that they would develop a bit more, but they didn't. This album caters basically to one thing alone, and that's nostalgia. Don't get me wrong, I can see the appeal here, but I have to say that this is one of the most uninspired records I've listened to in recent memory. 

The opening track Age of Man and the third track When The Curtain Falls were somewhat catchy, but still felt incredibly uncreative and bland at times. By that point, I still had some hope that there would be some bangers on here, but they never really came. Personally speaking, while I can pick out a few tracks I "liked," none of them were that much better than what the album as a whole provided. The magnitude of their lack of originality goes so far as to rip off their own songs. Brave New World included vocal sections that sounded oddly reminiscent of Age of Man. That said, I can certainly appreciate the musicianship found on here, especially the guitar work, but it's really all flash and no substance.

It pains me to point this out, but this group is one EP and one LP in, and the lead singer already sounds like he's straining himself at times. One thing that made Robert Plant such an icon, is that he sounded genuine. Rarely did he sound like he was struggling to reach such high notes. Here, Josh is in his early 20's and sounds like a dying cat, seemingly trying to replicate Plant's style, but failing. It's surprising, considering how good he sounded in some of their earlier singles. 

For what it is, this is a pretty raw piece of work and would most certainly be enjoyable for many people who miss the heydays of hard rock. Objectively though, this record packs a string of uncreative songwriting attempts, mediocre riffs, and uncomfortable vocal performances riddled throughout. I know it's kind of ironic to call this band uncreative when comparing them to Led Zeppelin, but at least they didn't completely rip off another artist's sound to a T. This is the kind of band that would have been better off playing local joints as a cover band, but up to this point, have shown very little of worth as an individual unit. I do hope they can find their own sound, because as musicians, they do show some talent, but this album demonstrates that they are pretty uncreative songwriters.

D+

Favorite Tracks: Age of Man, When The Curtain Falls, Brave New World

Least Favorite Track: The New Day