Dubbed the "Led Zeppelin for Generation Z", Greta Van Fleet, the four-man group hailing from Michigan has recently risen to prominence simply because of the fact that none of them are over 24 years old, and that they 'sound like Led Zeppelin'. I guess it's better than being compared to Nickelback. *shudders* For a bunch of 'kids', they certainly don't disappoint when it comes to offering powerhouse guitar riffs, deafening drum crashes, popping bass lines, and wailing vocals. And if that's your thing, then maybe one of their hit songs, "Black Smoke Rising" is for you.
Released on their debut EP Black Smoke Rising in 2017, and then later released again on their double EP From the Fires in 2018, "Black Smoke Rising" reached Number 15 on Billboard's best rock songs of 2017. The song also received a Grammy Award nomination for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rock Song - not bad for some kids, eh?
The song has been described as a traditional, guitar-driven rock song, prominently featuring Jake Kiszka's guitar riff hook and lead sniger Josh Kiszka's "husky howl". At the 2:30 mark of the song, the song breaks its structure to enter a minute long interlude consisting of Joshua Kiszka's howling vocals and Jacob Kiszka's psychedelic guitar work, before returning to its final chorus. Thematically, the song was inspired by the summers by bonfires of their youth, with Josh Kiszka explaining:
"When we were kids, all our extended families and friends spent part of every summer together at a place called Yankee Springs. We were out in the middle of the woods, and every night, we'd sit around a campfire, play music and tell stories. I always loved that as it reminded me of ancient times when people would gather around the fires with the tribes' elders telling fables of wisdom and courage, passing down human history. That concept is where the cover art and title come from."
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