'Anthem of the Peaceful Army' review: Greta Van Fleet's debut LP is exactly what you'd expect. Nothing more. Nothing less
It's finally here. The amount of hype that's been drummed up in the run-up to Greta Van Fleet's debut studio album 'Anthem of the Peaceful Army' is dizzying. Ever since the Michigan-based classic rock revivalists burst onto the scene with their 2017 debut EP 'Black Smoke Rising', the rock world has been eagerly waiting for their first full-length effort. After countless comparisons to Led Zeppelin and an army of fans (peaceful army?) defending the barely 20-something rockstars against claims of ripping off a sound that was relevant four decades ago, Greta Van Fleet's big moment of truth is here.
The pressure of the hype machine is something that doesn't always work in one's favor, especially in today's streaming era. Some bands are plagued with the curse of never being able to match up to their flawless debut albums. It's the case with The Strokes' 'Is This It'. It's perhaps the case with Alt-J's 'An Awesome Wave' too and MGMT might never match up to the poppy glory of 'Oracular Spectacular'. Greta Van Fleet's challenge starts much before that. They have the daunting task of matching up to the sheer force and glory of their six original tracks so far (that featured on last year's double EP 'From the Fires').
