Greta Van Fleet

The Battle at Garden's Gate

Much-hyped Michigan siblings diversify successfully on their second album.

Hand yourself over to a psychedelic song of praise like Trip The Light Fantastic ... or fall into The Weight Of Dreams’ fathomless nine minutes, and this legitimately might be the next best thing.

There’s no denying it — Greta Van Fleet have taken a lot of flack. Whichever side of the fence you sit on, The Battle At Garden’s Gate, might just change your mind.

They've cleaned up the mistakes of their first album, fleshed out their atmospheres into some truly lush and breathtaking territories, doubled down on their heavy rock edge, and crafted something that is far better than it has any right to be. Bask in it without feeling any shame.

Presented as the next great hope for the genre, Greta Van Fleet were bound to be mocked .... if you can pull yourself away from yet another band that sounds like Public Image Ltd. for a second, you just might realize how great they can be.

Though the swaggering riffage of Built By Nations and John Bonham-like pocket of Stardust Chords will draw more Zeppelin compari- sons, GVF are evolving here.

While Greta Van Fleet excel at erecting houses of the retro-rock holy, they struggle a bit at the basics — like memorable songwriting, and especially lyrics .... With these guys, a little self-awareness would go a long way toward making them easier to take seriously.

More Geddy Lee than Robert Plant, Josh Kiszka commands attention then alienates; his wail is the weak link in a group who is getting better at their period-accurate cosplay.

Even though Battle draws from the same playbook that made Anthem such a by-the-numbers paean, the band is in an unlikely position where they have the skills and stature, but not always the wherewithal, to mature.

There is entirely nothing new about the proceedings on The Battle at Garden’s Gate. And, at over an hour’s running time, what’s contained here is much too long, particularly given the slog of the final third of the album.