Number 34: From the Fires by Greta Van Fleet
Release: November 10th, 2017
Genre: Rock
Favorite Tracks: Edge of Darkness, Safari Song, Highway Tune
Where I heard it:
When I started collection vinyl records in early 2014, I made the conscious decision that Led Zeppelin would be my favorite band of all-time. I don't know exactly what pushed me to make such a bold stance, but I knew that I loved a majority of their catalog. I even finished the Zeppelin studio discography in my collection a few years back. However, I knew good and well that any chance I had to ever see this legendary band in person were pretty much squandered. Vocalist Robert Plant had exhausted his pipes years ago, drummer Jon Bonham had already passed away decades before I was even born, and Jimmy Paige was content with living a more scaled-back life removed from the spotlight. I felt like my choice in a favorite band wasn't exactly legitimate, as their musical run had long since ended. Right around the time I began to question myself, I had a friend recommend me a crazy-sounding band that he swore sounded exactly like Zeppelin. Stricken with disbelief, I actually forgot the name of the band until months down the road when Greta Van Fleet landed in my Discovery Weekly playlist on Spotify. When I played Safari Song for the first time, my jaw hit the floor. Turns out my friend was absolutely right. It sounded as if Robert Plant himself had de-aged fifty years and was back on the microphone to bring the house down. There wasn't another moment to waste; I had to see what Greta Van Fleet was all about. Nowadays, I'm old enough to understand the concept of having a favorite band for the sake of social status is stupid...but I gotta hand it to them, Greta Van Fleet really had lightning in a bottle with their debut release From the Fires.
When I got down on my knees?
Gotta get your lovin' baby
Your lovin's all I need
Don't make me beg now baby
Don't make me bleed
I gave you all a man could give
And you still walked out on me
~ Safari Song
What to expect:
Nowadays, rock music as an institution is a shell of its former self compared to its heyday in the 70's and 80's. During an era where rock and roll now clearly plays second fiddle to more popular genres like hip-hop and electronica, there are few artists left to maintain the integrity of rock's storied history. Greta Van Fleet defiantly takes a stand against the mainstream with their sound that harkens back to the golden age of bands like AC/DC and Aerosmith. Their refreshing brand of stadium rock breathes new life into a style of music long since dormant, combining impassioned vocals from frontman Josh Kiszka with the electrifying chords and solos from his brothers Jake and Sam on guitar and bass respectively. Rounded out by outsider Daniel Wagner on drums, Greta Van Fleet's inaugural outing From the Fires embraces common rock tropes like catchy guitar riffs, eccentric drum fills, and all-out vocal freestyles to deliver a product that sounds straight out of the 70's. Original songs like Flower Power and Black Smoke Rising flex the group's collective songwriting talent which preserves the intimate yet powerful sound of rock and roll. Each song is meticulously engineered in its structure to seamlessly flow between every verse, bridge, chorus, and solo. If Greta Van Fleet's in-house work isn't enough to convince you, From the Fires includes a couple cover songs, including a performance of Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna Come that doesn't quite eclipse Cooke's legendary recording, but still does the song great justice. Josh's singing demonstrates remarkable tonal discipline, even in unhinged moments where he lets loose and goes off into the higher register. Not to be outdone by his brother, Jake's solo work on guitar matches the intensity of the vocals with emphatic squeals and the perfect amount of distortion in tracks like Safari Song and Highway Tune that do their best to steal the spotlight. This brotherly competitivity pushes Greta Van Fleet's standards increasingly higher, creating an audible musical chemistry on From the Fires that is unmistakable. These boys are powered by the spirit of rock and roll, and they're doing a damn fine job of keeping it alive and well.
She's many places, but she's homeward bound
And now she walks kinda funny, I think she knows
Day by day by day our love grows
'Cause she's a lantern in the night
She's outta sight
~ Flower Power
Why it's my favorite:
I'd be lying if I didn't credit Greta Van Fleet's likeness to Led Zeppelin as the largest contributor to my enjoyment of their catalog. As mentioned previously, there are moments of uncanniness within From the Fires that pretty blatantly mirror elements from Led Zeppelin, arguably one of the greatest rock bands of all-time. Greta Van Fleet draws close inspiration to the same blues rock roots that Zeppelin helped popularize. Not only are Josh's vocal inflections reminiscent of those from Robert Plant, but the lyrical content revolves around mythical imagery in similar fashion to Zeppelin. When confronted with copycat allegations, Greta Van Fleet vehemently denies their association with Led Zeppelin and insists upon their originality. The question I find myself asking concerning this entire fiasco is this: does it matter if Greta and Zeppelin sound the same? For decades, the fans of rock and roll have longed for an act that embodies the same qualities as the titans of the genre's past. When that act appears in the form of Greta Van Fleet, they're pegged as rip-offs who rely too closely to the source material. Ultimately, my interest in Greta Van Fleet has led me to the understanding that people are going to like what they want to like, and hate what they want to hate. I feel lucky enough to be alive during a period where we do have artists that are trying their hardest to revitalize something many people hold dear in the rock community. Apparently, I'm not the only one who feels that way; I've watched Greta Van Fleet evolve from clubs to theaters to stadiums over their short career span. If you thought their studio albums brought the energy, the two live performances I've attend of Greta Van Fleet have been nothing short of incredible. I just have so much respect for what From the Fires achieved for rock and roll, and I'm excited to see just how far these guys can ride that train until they ride off into the sunset. Perhaps once Greta Van Fleet retires, we'll all acknowledge how good of a thing we had in this band. It's only a matter of time before their legacy is cemented alongside some of the most storied bands to ever grace rock and roll.
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