By: Ty Hardy
2.5/5
Classic Rock n Roll that you enjoy consuming, but it doesn’t quite fill you up.
Greta Van Fleet’s Debut LP, Anthem of the Peaceful Army is a good effort, however it can fall flat at times. It’s an obvious reason why they chose When the Curtain Falls as their lead single, as it’s the only song to stand out in a crowd of 11.
Anthem of the Peaceful Army is a perfect album to confuse your 60 year old Uncle Bob with. Much like Greta Van Fleet’s previous releases, they do not shy away from that controversial Led Zeppelin sound. The sound is so similar, that at times it’s nearly impossible to figure out who you are listening to.
Formed back in 2012, these Michigan rockers want to prove to the world that they are more than a Led Zeppelin re-hash, and their first opportunity has come with this release. The only issue is that it still feels like Led Zeppelin, but lacks any dynamics. Robert Plant, or Josh Kiszka? You’ll be questioning yourself throughout the entire album, until of course Josh starts to sound like a 3 year old coming down with a cold, as his voice starts to gargle.
With relatively good instrumentals throughout the album, there isn’t much dynamics within them. Along with Lead Singer Josh Kiszka’s unchanging vocals, it feels like you’re dragging on the same song throughout the whole album. Tracks 1-5 still follow that controversial Zeppelin sound, with that old school writing formula. This does change a bit halfway throughout the album with You’re The One, but this time, it seems to take a page out of Tom Petty’s book. A sweet acoustic, this song is catchy, and gives you a break from that same sound you heard back on Van Fleet’s prior releases, but it seems to be repetitive. From here, it falls flat for the next two songs. Nothing rememberable. Even after listening to this album several times to get a feel, it’s still hard to remember The New Day and Mountain of the Sun. The closing portion of the album, Brave New World, Anthem and Lover Leaver (Taker Believer), saves the rest of the album as you are about to give up. These songs are catchy, have great riffs, and finally provide those desperately needed dynamics
Despite the album’s weaknesses in dynamics throughout songs, Greta Van Fleet have made a solid first effort. Tunes like Age of Man, When The Curtain Falls, Brave New World and Anthem make up for the other lacking songs. It’s not an album you will go out of your way to listen to more than once, however you won’t shy away from it when it comes on in your playlist. This leaves the listener to wonder, what comes next?