Greta Van Fleet Archives

From Greta Van Fleet to Cannibal Corpse, there is something for everyone among this week’s best new releases.

Life will probably never be the same as it was before the COVID pandemic took the world by storm. Mourning the loss of the world we knew is normal, but it’s important to recognize all the good that continues to exist. Each new week brings us music that has the potential to change countless lives, and this week’s batch of new releases is no exception. There are too many good records for us to mention, but here are four we believe everyone should experience. This is the best new music of the week.

Greta Van Fleet – The Battle at Garden’s Gate (Republic)

Michigan’s Greta Van Fleet has spent the better part of the last decade becoming one of the most talked-about rock bands on the planet. The group has been the subject of so much discussion that it’s almost hard to believe that they’re only on their second album. The Battle at Garden’s Gate expands on the foundation of previous releases by channeling the influence of several iconic rock acts whose names now adorn the walls of the genre’s hall of fame. But this record is not merely a rehash of things we’ve heard previously. Greta Van Fleet asserts themselves more than ever with this release, and their wide-eyed youthfulness is present throughout the album. The pitch-perfect combination of old and new gives The Battle At Garden’s Gate a sense of timelessness, and it points to a bright future for the band.

**Hail The Sun – New Age Filth (Equal Vision**)

Equal Vision Records has a knack for finding and nurturing artists that defy easy classification. Hail The Sun, for example, cannot be filed away as either an alternative rock band or post-punk scene darlings. The group is too experimental for radio but not heavy enough for the so-called underground scene, which affords the band space to define themselves. New Age Filth is a progressive and profoundly emotional record that explores a vast range of human experiences to create an all-encompassing look at what it means to live in the world today. By blending their journeys into the record, Hail The Sun keeps things grounded while maintaining lofty ambitions for the future of their music. New Age Filth is, to put it simply, impressive in every way.

Escape The Fate – Chemical Warfare (Better Noise)

Escape the Fate burst onto the rock scene as an amalgamation of 80s hair metal eccentricities and modern alt-rock edge. That image and sound catapulted the group to the forefront of their genre, but they did not let that early success slow their efforts to evolve. The band is now largely sober, far less image-focused, and tighter than ever. Chemical Warfare takes the band’s journey and puts it into song, detailing all the struggles and setbacks that created the men that the members have become over the last decade. It’s a profoundly inspirational collection of tracks written with the hope of influencing positive change that arrives precisely when the rock world needs it most. Where they go from here is anyone’s guess, but fans will be happy to know the band is at the top of their game with this release.

Cannibal Corpse – Violence Unimagined (Metal Blade)

Though many have tried, no one can replicate the heaviness or aggression of Cannibal Corpse. Violence Unimagined, the band’s fifteenth studio album, is the latest testament to the enduring talent of Buffalo’s best export. It’s eleven tracks of masterfully produced and crushingly brutal death metal performed with precision by the people mainly responsible for the genre’s global popularity. Cannibal Corpse has nothing left to prove, and they know it, so instead, they’re making the best music they can — as only they can — for the benefit of metal fans everywhere.

The Offspring – Let The Bad Times Roll (Concord)

Over three and a half decades into their career, The Offspring continue to deliver their signature combination of so-cal punk and alternative rock with Let The Bad Times Roll. Many groups would be happy to rest on the success of their catalog, but Dexter Holland and crew push forward. Their latest channels the frustrations of the past year and the many ongoing terrors of the world into a collection of songs that demand listeners find joy wherever they can. Make no mistake: Let The Bad Times Roll is not about ignoring all the wrongs in the world. It’s about finding happiness amid the chaos and how creating spaces for others to do the same will make this planet more hospitable for everyone.

New Music Friday recommendations feature a collection of new releases from Haulix clients chosen by the company staff. Join Haulix today and gain immediate access to the industry’s leading digital promotional distribution platform: http://haulix.com/signup.

Michigan’s Greta Van Fleet is one of the most successful and most often criticized bands on the planet. Following their lead is something every aspiring artist should consider.

There are far more talented rock bands vying for attention right now than anyone can hope to cover. The vast majority of these musicians will spend their entire careers caught somewhere between local hotshot and moderate success. Some may write songs capable of changing the world, but the likelihood that anyone outside their circle hears those tracks is relatively low. The reasons for that frustrating fact are numerous, but studying Greta Van Fleet can explain how artists can position themselves for breakout success.

Hailing from a part of Michigan known more for its holiday spirit than its music, Greta Van Fleet became an international sensation in 2017 thanks to a nonstop touring schedule and two promising EPs. Almost overnight, the world of rock was divided into two groups: People who appreciate the group’s throwback sound and those who feel the young men from the midwest were ripping off several legendary acts. You probably have an opinion, and we’re not attempting to convince you otherwise.

Parts of the rock music community continues to debate the band’s quality to this day. Still, the general public has made their opinion known by pushing the band into sold-out amphitheater performances and spending their hard-earned cash buying their music. There’s also the band’s four GRAMMY nominations, as well as numerous glowing reviews from the global music community.

Greta Van Fleet has reached a level of success that any group of musicians would kill to achieve, and that popularity is not a fluke. The band and their team work incredibly hard, and there are lessons from their rise that can help other musicians build lasting careers with devoted fans.

First and foremost, Greta Van Fleet understands branding. One look at the band’s photos, videos, or logo, and you immediately know what type of music they perform. Their marketing efforts sell the promise of a specific image and sound that the group delivers on through everything they do. It’s a textbook example of “what you see is what you get,” and in a time when the competition is fierce, there is something to be said for giving people exactly what they want.

Likewise, the band isn’t afraid to embrace their influences. Millions of rock fans worldwide would give anything to hear more material from the legendary bands of the 60s and 70s that laid the foundation for everything that came after. Those groups, by and large, are no longer releases new music. That leaves a void that Greta Van Fleet is happy to fill. That doesn’t mean that they’re compromising their artistic vision or writing inauthentic music. In reality, the group is doing exactly what they want. They wish to be as big as the bands that people never forget, and they’re following the blueprint of those acts in hopes of becoming a similarly iconic group.

Greta Van Fleet also understands the digital age. They know that everyone has a voice and that success is often determined by the number of people talking about your music. The group has faced more criticism than any mainstream rock act since Nickelback or Creed, but they don’t let that get them down. They understand that there are millions of musicians people could discuss. People talk about them, which means they are getting clicks, streams, views, etc. The volume of conversation matters more than its contents, at least to an extent, so long as people keep talking, the band continues to thrive.

The last point worth making is that the band’s success would not be possible without leveraging their fans’ support. The group’s rise in popularity came after they turned to friends, family, and listeners to fund a live EP way back in 2014. That release leads to licensing the helped kickstart GVF’s ascent through the world of rock, but it may never have existed without the band first asking their audience for support. The group invited their fans to play a pivotal role in their journey, and their followers obliged. That level of transparency has helped the group create a community around their music, unlike any other fandom in rock today. It’s all because they were open about their need for assistance.

Point being: It’s okay to need help. Fans want to see you succeed, and if you ask them to support you, they will probably do what they can to assist in whatever you hope to achieve.

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