Album review: Greta van Fleet’s talent was enough for a good, but not great album with “Anthem of the Peaceful Army”

Ethan Clewell
Wed, 24 Oct 2018 00:49:30 +0000
Arts & Life, Music, album review, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, band, From The Fires, Greta van Fleet, Jake Kiszka, Josh Kiszka, new album, rock music

Sam Kiszka and Josh Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet at The Sylvee on Oct. 11 in Madison, Wisconsin. Credit Courtesy of TNS

In the EP “From The Fires,” Greta Van Fleet showed the world that it’s possible to make classic rock in the modern day. In its debut album “Anthem of the Peaceful Army,” it showed itself to be a band that will stay in the spotlight for a while.

I had two general expectations of the album. First, Josh Kiszka’s vocals were going to blow me away, and Jake Kiszka was going to shred the guitar. Both of these were true in almost every song.

With a voice that sounds like a mix of Led Zeppelin’s lead singer Robert Plant and Rush’s Geddy Lee, Josh Kiska can just wail out his lyrics.

Greta Van Fleet walked a tightrope of self-identity in this album and while in some places they did well, in others they stumbled.

If you know the band from its EP, “From The Fires,” then you would know why this group is constantly being compared to Led Zeppelin. Greta Van Fleet’s biggest criticism for the talented, young band, has been that the group seems to be a Led Zeppelin wannabe. While I can see the comparison, it has not stopped me from being a fan.

The first and my favorite song of the album, “Age of Man,” flat out shuts down this criticism. The way the song breaks down, its pace and overall sound is nothing like Led Zeppelin. However, the following song “The Cold Wind“ did sound like it could have been written by Led Zeppelin. To me this means that it was going back to what has made it this successful so far, but it was still good.

The biggest problem I had was with their lyrics. I was hoping for something better to come out of them. Not to say their lyrics were generic, but it’s not something new that I was hearing either. For instance, look at the theme from “Lover, Leaver.”

“Oh my holy Lord. Sets my soul on fire. Flames of love and sweet perfume. She’s my heart’s desire. She’s an angel straight from hell. Draws me to the deep. In the darkness way below. It’s my heart she’ll keep.” ?New words, but not really a new theme — especially when thinking about hard rock.

So I think conceptually, this album could have been better, especially with the group’s outstanding talent. As much as I love this album, if it’s Greta Van Fleet’s best, then that will be a disappointment.

3.5/5