The brains behind the Greta Van Fleet phenomenon have to be commended. They took a group of four young musicians from Michigan with a love for old-school 70s style blues-based rock and released the four-song Black Smoke Rising EP in 2017 to test the waters. They put the band on the road, allowed them to grow and develop, generated a buzz, and took a step back as the media, the fans and other musicians took notice. One thing everyone seemed to agree on was the group’s eerie similarity to Led Zeppelin, both in sound and deliverance. Instead of catching flak, Greta Van Fleet were embraced. Besides, anyone looking under the hood knew there was more to the band than a passing resemblance to Led Zeppelin. Anthem Of The Peaceful Army, Greta Van Fleet’s first full album, goes to great strides to create the band’s own identity, while retaining critical parts of the formula that helped garner the initial recognition.
Maybe the Zeppelin tag emboldened them to a degree, because there are certainly more than a few Zeppelinesque elements the group employs, consciously or not. “Age Of Man,” which opens the album, is a daring leap into more flowery territory, the Mellotron overpowering the guitar through a grandiose melody that speaks to the group’s diverse palette. It’s in these moments when the music is singular and unique enough on its own that you can forgive “the land of the ice and snow” reference ala “Immigrant Song,” or the grand dramatic rise of the Hammond organ that closes the song, providing the same shudders John Paul Jones’ magic touch provides on “Your Time Is Gonna Come.”
When the beat picks up and the guitars start to roar, the nuances are easy to spot and enticing enough to suck you in. “The Cold Wind” and “When The Curtain Falls” are crunching examples, suspended by Jake Kiszka’s bag of riffs and rhythms, brother Josh’s breezy, banshee vocals, and Danny Wagner’s Bonham-inspired roundhouse fills and triplets. “Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer)” flexes its muscles, Jake squeezes out a barking solo, brother Sam on the bass and Wagner gun the tempo, and the dreamy mid-section segues into a bluesy implosion that comes to screeching halt. Call it what you will — lazy and tepid are not part of the equation.
Anthem Of The Peaceful Army is a depository of the many sides of Greta Van Fleet. “Watching Over” stalwartly marches forward with little inhibition and a sublime elegance that washes over the turnarounds. “You’re The One,” a simple, acoustic number, is warmed up by Sam Kiszka, the youngest member the band, and his handiwork on the Fender Rhodes. Meanwhile, Josh Kiszka strolls through the verses with the ease and confidence of Robert Plant, Rod Stewart and Chris Robinson.
“The New Day” is another mid-tempo tapper, a mix of acoustic and electric guitars embedded in an infectiously loose and melodic swing. This and “Anthem,” which ends the album, exhibit a concerted effort to transcend the labels with carefully composed and constructed pieces, comprising all the basic ingredients — a strong voice, lots of guitar and a heavy bass-and-drum foundation — melded into a sonic force of incredible dimension. For a band like Greta Van Fleet, all its parts operating at full capacity, just about anything can happen. As it is, they’ve taken a bold and bright step in the right direction with Anthem Of The Peaceful Army.
~ Shawn Perry
