Album Review — Greta Van Fleet

Greta Van Fleet — Anthem of the Peaceful Army

I considered writing this as a review of the latest Led Zeppelin record. That’s how much I thought of Zeppelin when I listened to this record this week. I listened through it six times to try to get past it but I just can’t. The more I listen to it the more I hear Zeppelin. Whether it’s how the singer sings a phrase, the Bonham-like drums, the guitar riffs, even the bass playing. Not to mention multiple songs sound eerily similar to specific Zeppelin tunes.

That being said, it’s not a bad thing to be compared to one of Rock’s greatest bands. And they do a very good job of sounding like them. I knew nothing of the band when I listened to the record and I’ve since found out the average age of the band is 20. There’s some pretty good playing on this record for a bunch of kids.

A few of the songs stick out for me. “When The Curtain Falls” was the first song I heard from the record and it’s full on Zeppelin mode. Not being a huge Zeppelin fan, I honestly thought it was a cover song. But it’s all the good stuff that I like about Zeppelin.

“Love Leaver” sounds like “Whole Lotta Love” and that’s a good thing. “You’re The One” sounds like acoustic Zeppelin. Every song has something in it that reminds me of a Zeppelin tune.

From what I’ve seen, this album has caused quite a stir in the rock community. Some folks think these guys are going to save rock and roll. Others think they are flat out rip offs and want these young whipper snappers to get off their collective lawns.

I fall somewhere in between. Yes, there is no denying that they sound very much like Zeppelin. But there are a lot of bands that I like that sound like other bands. Heck, there are entire genres of music that take directly from those before them. When I first heard Giuffria I thought it was the new Journey record. That didn’t keep me from liking Giuffria. But, they weren’t Journey.

That about sums it up for me with Greta Van Fleet. I can enjoy them because they sound like a band that I like, but they aren’t as good as the original. Maybe from here they take those influences and create something a bit more original. I’ll definitely take another listen when their next record comes out because they certainly are talented.

But six times through is enough for me for this record. They did inspire me to want to listen to the Zeppelin albums again.

Overall — 80 out of 100

Track Listing

1. Age of Man
2. The Cold Wind
3. When the Curtain Falls *
4. Watching Over
5. Lover Leaver (Taker Believer) *
6. You’re the One
7. The New Day
8. Mountain of the Sun
9. Brave New World *
10. Anthem

*Best Songs