The second EP from modern rock band, Greta Van Fleet, was released on November 10, 2017. From the Fires is compiled of 8 tracks, totaling just over 32 minutes of run time. The group is comprised of Joshua and Jake Kiszka, as well as Danny Wagner and Sam Kiszka too. While not fitting into a current genre of music, they redefined the rock genre to fit a more 21st century style, often dubbed the modern Led Zeppelin. The interesting fact about this EP is that many of the tracks here weren’t intended for this project, which normally isn’t a good sign. Nevertheless, this album was nominated and won the Best Rock Album at the 61st Grammy Awards. All in all, exploring a publicly “dead” genre in the 2010s was to be no easy feat, but they did they successfully venture it here?
I would chalk it up as a success.
Introduction
Greta Van Fleet has made quite the name for themselves over the years, and many dub From the Fires the start to that rise. I would have to agree. This album, while short, does pack quite the punch. All of the tracks are outstanding and are near masterpieces in their production level. From track one to eight, you will not find yourself bored in any regard. As a matter of fact, the more I got into the album, the more I enjoyed it. The vocals are also fantastic on every track, with a few different styles and tones throughout. The place it does lack, however, is the simplistic lyricism and structure at times. This is slightly made up for by the production level. All in all, this is a fantastic redesign of a classic genre, that targets a younger audience, while still hitting the sweet spot for many classic rock lovers.
Strengths
Production
This is truly where the album succeeds. Every member of the band shines in their own regards, which brings the album together. Whether it was Jake Kiszka on guitar, Sam Kiszka on bass or keyboard, or Danny Wagner on drums, they all had their moments to stand tall. Every track has a very unique style, which made the album an enjoyable listen. This is all in part to how the drums patterns and guitar solos matched the other. This made the instrumentals near perfect for each other. In addition, many of the intros and outros really led into or concluded the songs wonderfully. Another wonderful touch occurs on “Talk on the Street,” where background vocals were added for the isolated time on the album. This track stood out due to it, which was worth noting. All in all, the level of production here is top notch, which made everything come together near seamlessly.
Vocals
Another strong aspect of the project is the vocal performance of lead singer, Joshua Kiszka. He sounds absolutely phenomenal on every track. A strong suit of his is his capabilities to hit many different tones, which makes his voice quite adaptable for the production on this album. He goes from sounding very harsh (a classic rock tone) on “Safari Song” to a slower, softer tone on “Flower Power.” This is another aspect in which the album succeeds. There truly isn’t a dull moment in his performance here. The way he meshes with the wonderful production is also a highlight. He never sounds out of tune, nor does he appear too rock-like or blues-like. To sum it up, his adaptability on his vocal performance truly tied the album together, making for no dull moments.
Weaknesses
Simplicity
The only true weakness I found was the simplicity of From the Fires. While the production and vocals don’t fall flat, the lyricism and structure at times do. Many of the songs can get repetitive in words, often repeating the similar line many different times throughout the track. This is a minor thing, until it continues to happen. The structure was also quite repetitive and boring at times. The short verses seemed dull, especially when the tone was the same as the chorus. This was very apparent on “A Change is Gonna Come.” While this is a cover of the 1964 Sam Cooke song, the chorus doesn’t really stand out. The third verse is the closest you get to a true chorus sounding time in the song. While this doesn’t diminish the song, nor the project, it is worthy of noting.
Conclusion
From the Fires has very minor critiques and definitely gets points for exploring a genre that hasn’t been explored since the 90s. While the album is very solid in production and vocals, it holds a rating of 7.3/10, as it doesn’t have much to really set it apart from any other rock album.
Weakest Track: The weakest track here is “Meet on the Ledge.” This song is the prime example of being too repetitive in its lyricism. The continual use of the title in the song holds back the listening experience to me. It doesn’t really stand out in any other marks either.
Strongest Track: The strongest track here is certainly “Talk on the Street.” Steering away from a harsh rock style, the vocals and production levels here are top notch. I loved nearly every aspect of this song. The use of background vocals propels this production to the best on the project, as does the guitar solo and outro.
Song Rankings:
- “Talk On the Street”
- “Black Smoke Rising”
- “Highway Tune”
- “A Change is Gonna Come”
- “Safari Song”
- “Flower Power”
- “Edge of Darkness”
- “Meet on the Ledge”
Final Notes
Song rankings are always subject to change over time, so don’t take these too to heart. They also are just my opinion. With that being said, I would love to hear your opinions, so leave them in the comment section below. We also suggest subscribing to our blog. To do so, go under the tab “Contact” and fill out the form. That will allow you to receive emails of new blogs and maybe get them ahead of time. Finally, go give From the Fires a listen for yourself, as I highly recommend this album to anyone who is interested in a different take on the rock genre.