At the start of 2017, Michigan Rock outfit Greta Van Fleet was a little-known band, but after countless major festivals, sold out solo tour dates and climbing the active radio charts, they proved that they are a force to be reckoned with. The band released their first EP back in April of 2017 to help kick-start their industry take over and now at the end of the year they have released yet another EP and this time it’s a double version.
Greta Van Fleet has been the talk of music critics and journalists for months because of their clear influences from rock legends Led Zeppelin, even drawing the term ‘reincarnation’ from the pages of many websites. What makes this band so unique in their sound is the fact that they are using these influences to their advantage, exposing a new generation of listeners to the sounds that helped shape music today. When you listen to From The Fires you can clearly tell that this group of young musicians have done their research and created a sound that fits them well.
The first track off the EP is their current single “Safari Song”. The song opens with a groovy guitar riff before Josh’s power vocals punch in. Upon first listen, you are transported to a time when music was powerful enough to give you goosebumps while you listened to it. Everything in this song fits so well together, from the instrumentation, the vocal delivery, and the lyrical content, it blows my mind that this band isn’t even legally allowed to buy beer! This is a fact that radiates through the entire release.
The 8-Track, 32-minute release, is nothing less of spectacular, containing all of the elements I loved about the wave of hard rock and acid rock in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This is the music I grew up listening to on Sunday mornings with my father while he drank his early morning coffee.
My favorite song off From The Fires is by far the 7th song on the EP, “Talk On The Street”. The guitar solo at the end of the song is just amazing, along with the flow of the song, every single element just works so well. I honestly can’t say enough positive things about this release.
I don’t give perfect ratings out often, but what Greta Van Fleet has created is a masterpiece – a time machine of powerful vocals and groovy guitar riffs. This band will go far in this industry as long as they keep to their roots and create music like this. I honestly can’t wait to see what the future holds for their guys, but no matter where they go, I know they will be rocking stages and blowing people’s minds in the process.
The EP is available now on all streaming sites and even hard copies via the band’s website. I do however have one request, give me this one on vinyl so I can listen to it the way it deserves to be listened to!