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

 

Kinda funny how people’s perceptions can change on a musical act in a year. Case in point those 4 young fellows calling themselves Greta Van Fleet!

When these guys first came out with the Highway Song people were falling all over themselves saying how much it sounded like Zeppelin and blah blah blah.

As an old man I get it! It’s just music but I dug Highway Song and bought not only the EP  but the added songs that they put out later on  From the Fires so I basically bought the thing twice! Smart marketing move…

Still though people were ripping on em. Greta to me has become almost Nickelback like in dissing but then again Kroger has made more than a few zillion nickels in his time so who am I to argue…

Give Van Fleet credit. They continue to do what they do and for that I salute them.

So a few months back fellow blogging pal John T Snow shot me an email asking if i had the new Greta release Anthem of the Peaceful Army. I told John I hadn’t purchased it yet from iTunes so John basically had an extra copy kicking around as he bought 4 tickets to an upcoming show that he’s taking the family too and when he bought 4 tickets they sent him 4 copies of the album. So….

Thanks Mr Snow….

Van Fleet is….

• Joshua Kiszka – vocals
• Jacob Kiszka – guitar, backing vocals
• Samuel Kiszka – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
• Daniel Wagner – drums, backing vocals

Let GVF Do The Talking!

1.	“Age of Man”	6:06
2.	“The Cold Wind”	3:16
3.	“When the Curtain Falls”	3:42
4.	“Watching Over”	4:28
5.	“Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer)”	6:01
6.	“You’re the One”	4:25
7.	“The New Day”	3:44
8.	“Mountain of the Sun”	4:30
9.	“Brave New World”	5:00
10.	“Anthem”	4:41
Total length:		45:53

A cool little 10 pack of Hard Blues Rock done right! It’s a good rock record folks and these guys are not reinventing the wheel so to speak.

See the thing is with GVF is with all the singles they have put out on radio I have liked. This album as well as when I first heard When The Curtain Falls I liked that Bass line that drives the tune. Hell even there new single You’re The One for a keyboard driven tune is not too shabby as well.

See I get it when music fans can’t stand to give these guys a chance as they do more than borrow from Led Zeppelin. Granted it doesn;’t help their  cause at the start of the album on the opening tune (Age of Man) the lyrics sung are …

To wonder lands of ice and snow
In the desert heat where nothing grows
A tree of life in rain and sun
To reach the sky it’s just begun

So when your kinda sneaking some Vocabulary from Zeppelin 3 you are gonna  pay for it and these guys I know have gotten demolished in some reviews for doing just this sort of thing.

Its funny though as back in 1988 when I was 21 Kingdom Come released their Bob Rock self titled produced album and at times had some tinges of Zeppelin sprinkled throughout. Back than I dug that K.C album and had some Zeppelin in my collection so to me it was no biggie. I know it bothered the late Great Gary Moore as he wrote a tune about bands wanting to sound like Zep called Led Clones that Gary released back in 1989 on his After The War album… check out these lyrics and while were at it I’ll post Moore’s song below it…

You’ve stolen from the houses of the holy. You’ve rolled into the kingdom of the sain. I heard you on the radio. I saw those crummy videos. I don’t think I can take no more. Led clones, Led clones.

Got to get it on, from the still of the night. But you’re gettin’ it wrong, you know it ain’t right.

Gary got Ozzy Osbourne to do the lead vocals on Led Clones. I bought Gary’s album and when I first heard this tune I thought “Wow! The Dude has it out for Kingdom Come and the 1987-88 Whitesnake  band if anything!”.

I quickly realized why. Gary didn’t make any headway in the North America market at the time(80’s) so maybe he was pissed that a new band comes out called Kingdom Come and goes Gold out of the gate.  Perhaps the video of Whitesnake’s Still of the Night  irked Gary as well especially when Adrian Vandenberg played the solo with a violin bow. Hahaha..

Didn’t Zep borrow from some ol Blues Wizards  themselves? Just Saying..

Perhaps GVF’s are nabbing the young  kids out there  who don’t know about Zeppelin  but perhaps will check them out? Dunno but you never know…

Anyways back to the task at hand…

GVF can play their instruments as they are all very schooled in Old School Rock. That I dig. Their wardrobe I find a bit to over the top silly retro but  I  guess it goes with that throw back sound I suppose.

GVF will figure it out so  give them an album or two more or than again maybe they won’t figure it out!