Anthem of Sounds I've Heard Too Often Before
People who have come away from this record saying these kids are nothing but Led Zeppelin clones weren't listening close enough. That said, they're pretty damn far from anything original. Don't get me wrong, there's still a fuck ton of Zep here, from Josh Kiszka's uncanny Robert Plant wail to Jimmy Page tone in the guitar solos.
But there are also touches of other influences here, like The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds. Age of Man and Brave New World recall Rush while the solo on the latter sounds an awful lot like Jimi Hendrix. The band has taken a step or two away from their origins as a Zep cover band, and at their best, they pack a lot of energy and swagger into their tunes. When the Curtain Falls and Lover Leaver sport some spicy riffing and hooky groves that will get you to shake your shit. And my favorite track, The New Day, is a killer acoustic jam, perfect for lighter waving and foot-stomping.
These kids are plenty talented and write some sturdy songs, but as good as they are, I can't help losing interest after six or seven tracks. I honestly can't think why I should spin this over old Zeppelin or Rush records. And when I get in the mood for some modern throwback-to-the-70s tunes, I can't see picking these guys over bands like The Darkness or The Sword, who pack a similar old-school rock punch but manage sound like no one else out there.
And the back half of this record really DRAGS. From You're the One through the end, the album becomes a lot like a familiar childhood lullaby that settles you down and makes you comfortable before you drift off to sleep. Apart from The New Day, nothing on the second half of this record really raises the pulse. In fact, it was so hard for me to make it through the entirety of this record, I almost gave up on writing this. I had to jack myself on No-Doze to survive the back half of Peaceful Army. I'm serious.
While I think Greta Van Fleet is made up some talented blokes, I think they need to do more to differentiate themselves from and stand apart from their influences. They're a big deal right now because they sound so much like Zeppelin, especially with Josh Kiszka's vocal delivery. But that makes them a novelty, and if they don't do something to escape being a novelty, they run the risk of people setting them aside. Because, again, why listen to a new band that sounds like an old sound when you can just listen to the old sound. These kids (and they are just kids) have a lot of talent, and it would be a shame if they failed to have some career longevity because they couldn't grow beyond their influences.
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