Greta Van Fleet is a Hard Rock/Blues Rock band formed in Michigan in 2012. The band consists of three Kiszka brothers: Josh (vocals), Jake (guitar) and Sam (bass) and Danny Wagner (drums). After a handful of years making the rounds locally, the band came to prominence in early 2017 with their song "Highway Tune". It immediately drew comparisons to Led Zeppelin, for better or worse. The band released their debut album, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, in October 2018, their second album, The Battle at Garden's Gate, in April 2021, and their third album, Starcatcher, in July 2023.
Discography
- Black Smoke Rising (EP) (2017)
- From the Fires (EP) (2017)
- Anthem of the Peaceful Army (2018)
- The Battle at Garden's Gate (2021)
- Starcatcher (2023)
Tropes:
- Album Title Drop: You could technically say that the closest on Anthem of the Peaceful Army, "Anthem", is a loose version of this trope.
- From the Fires gets its name from a lyric in the chorus of "Black Smoke Rising". This is not a straight example, however, as "Black Smoke Rising", despite being on From the Fires, was released a year before as part of the Black Smoke Rising EP.
- Also, the closest thing on The Battle at Garden's Gate are the opening lyrics of "Stardust Chords", which are: "roses in the bush, cut down at the garden's gate".
- Same goes for Starcatcher, with the lyrics of "The Indigo Streak" being: "seen over sundown, catching the stars."
- Band of Relatives: Twins Josh and Jake Kiszka are vocalist and guitarist, respectively, and their younger brother, Sam, plays bass.
- Epic Rocking: "Age of Man" and "Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer)" both barely crack the 6-minute mark. Live versions of the latter, however, have exceeded 20 minutes.
- Hard Rock: Their music could be described as a Genre Throwback to The '70s-era rock.
- Longest Song Goes Last: "The Weight of Dreams", the last song from The Battle at Garden's Gate, is 8 minutes and 51 seconds long.
- Milking the Giant Cow: Josh does this while singing. It's notable on the music videos for "When The Curtain Falls", "Heat Above", "The Falling Sky" and some live performances.
- Prefers Going Barefoot: Sam isn't fond of wearing shoes onstage because according to him, being barefoot makes him feel the music better. Josh is also a frequent barefooter.
- Shout-Out: In the music video for "Meeting The Master", the titular master, who is represented by a woman (portrayed by model Grace Moffatt), evokes the The Lady of the Lake imagery, submerged in a lake holding a sword.
- The music video for "The Falling Sky" also evokes the Arthurian Legend imagery, showing a sword in the sand in many scenes, and once again, the master holding the sword.
- The Something Song: "Safari Song" and "Highway Tune".
- Title Track: "Black Smoke Rising", on the band's debut EP.
