For those not in the know, Greta Van Fleet released their brand new album, the truly magnificent The Battle at Gardens Gate, on April 16th, 2021.

The new music is a distinct evolution from the bands 2018 debut album Anthem of the Peaceful Army, with a very personal and compelling backstory rooted in the collective experiences the band had during their first three years as professional recording and touring musicians.

Over that time, their eyes were opened to new and different worlds of culture, history, philosophy, and spirituality, and that introduced them to many realities they had no prior connection with; certainly a far cry from the warm and secure life in their idyllic hometown, Frankenmuth, Michigan.

These encounters ushered in an entirely new way of looking at life and their interactions with it.

Simply put, for anyone who appreciates tremendous musicianship, songwriting, and an obvious love and respect for what they are producing, this is an album for you.

If you prefer the modernity of music, you will most likely be perplexed at what you are hearing here as there are variations of musical themes, interesting and uncommon chord progressions, and vocals that I would guess were captured as part of the recording of the song, and not just a layered cut and paste to get the the perfect sound.

The resonance, pitch variation, and vocal inflection lead me to believe you are hearing someone singing as part of the music, and not for production value. Trust me when I say that alone is such a refreshing sound to behold these days.

The songs are just outstanding. The first three cuts have already been released and are all rather catchy and very highly listenable. Keep listening through the album and you will appreciate the range of what these guys are capable of doing.

It may sound like classic rock, which it emulates, but it also deserves billing right next to bands such as Led Zeppelin, Rush, AC DC and The Who, in my humble opinion.

Detractors do what they do to bring attention to themselves to prove they somehow know more than what the rest of us are hearing. This album only cements the fact that Greta Van Fleet can succeed in spite of those aforementioned detractors, and for that we should all be thankful.

There are not that many new bands blazing their own trail so when a great one comes along I feel the need to support their efforts. I have the CD here from which I constructed this review, but I will soon own the vinyl for my own sonic listening enjoyment (and I suggest you all do too!)

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