The Bandwagon: Greta Van Fleet
Photo via: The Morning Call
The roll of this week’s Bandwagon has more than its fair share of rock. In a short space of time Greta Van Fleet have solidified themselves as the hardest hitters in rock and rolls new breed of heavyweight and the recent release of 8 track EP 'From the Fires' has catapulted them into the forefront of the music world perception. And it is not hard to see why. 8 incredibly well crafted, classic rock songs demonstrate a stylistic and musical maturity from the young four-piece out of Frankenmuth, Michigan. Josh Kiszka (vocals), Jake Kiszka (guitar), Sam Kiszka (bass), and Danny Wagner (drums) aged between 18 and 21, sound as if they have been playing together for decades, (probably owing to the fact that their line-up features 3 brothers).
Scores of wowed crowds around America, and more recently London, are a testament to immense quality and unbound potential of Greta Van Fleet. 'From the Fires' re-releases and builds upon the 4 tracks of debut EP 'Black Smoke Rising' (which is soon to receive a limited pressing vinyl release) with 3 new original tracks and an exemplary cover of 'A Change is Gonna Come'. It is quite possibly the highest quality release from a new band that I have ever encountered, with immense vocal power, head banding riffs and a granite solid rhythm lines, there is not a single moment on 'From the Fires' that is anything less that fantastic.
Photo via: MetroLyric
The influence of legendary rockers of yesteryear bleeds from every note and is projected all across the stage in their throwback aesthetic. The influence of Led Zeppelin in particular screams out, more literally than figuratively at times, in the soaring vocal range of Josh Kiszka. But that isn’t to say that they don’t have a personality of their own. This is a band that knows and respects their roots, but manages to update them, amalgamate them and reinvent them, making Greta van Fleet the mighty tree breaching the surface feeding off what has come before it. Their Unbridled confidence and potential means they’ll be gracing the radio waves for years to come and transporting plenty more audiences back to the side of a Woodstock campfires and an era of denim and freedom. They're back in the UK for a limited run of shows in March so act fast and get some tickets before they inevitably sell out. And as the current poster boys for the Spotify rock playlist there is no excuses not to listen and board the biggest, baddest bandwagon yet.