Fellow Progarchist Rick Krueger has already published a fine review of this young group, but here is my shout-out to Greta Van Fleet, up and coming rockers from the small town of Frankenmuth, Michigan. Inspired by Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, and other blues-based rockers, these boys (ranging in age from 19-22) are an emerging force to be reckoned with in the music world. Check out their live performance at Coachella from April of this year and try telling me that rock n roll has died…
Still not sure about GVF? See what Robert Plant had to say about them.
Progarchy 
Well, to be honest… There’s a fine line between inspired and derivative, and GVF are Led Zeppelin in all but name and songwriting skills. I might be overdramatic in my sentiments, but the fact that they are getting so much press only goes to show that, at the end of the day, copycats have it easier than true originators.
Despite the above I quite enjoy their music, but when I’m in the mood for Led Zeppelin, I prefer, well, Led Zeppelin. I also think that this whole ‘old school revival’ has produced more interesting bands such as Blues Pills, Rival Sons, or Tame Impala.
And the hilarious surname, Kiszka! This is actually the name of a traditional dish in Podlasie, the region of Poland I am from. It consists of a pig’s gut filled with potato, pork, fatback, and other stuff. Something my grandmother used to cook and is still part of Podlasie cuisine. The very word is the diminutive of ‘gut’, so it’s one of the funniest surnames in Polish 😉
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Agree that Rival Sons could probably lick GVF in a Battle of the Bands with little to no trouble. But to be fair, these are KIDS, milking the moment for everything they can, and the dearth of hard rock in the mainstream media gives them lots of room to run. I really enjoy them for what they’re worth; I think if the lead singer didn’t sound so much like Plant, it would be easier to judge them on their own merits. Their first attempt at a full-length album will probably tell the tale about their staying power.
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I agree, Rick. I actually saw Rival Sons open for Black Sabbath back in 2016 and was impressed by their talent. It’s just exciting to see guys younger than I am (I’m only 24) play old-fashioned blues-based rock; it’s a rare treat these days.
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I agree that the fact that they are so young and yet so good at what they do is quite impressive, and you are right that as far as mainstream music goes, they are a step in the right direction.
It’s not only the vocals that are the LZ giveaway. What actually struck me even more on first listen was the production. No way the choices made in the studio were not conscious LZ emulation, especially the drums. You just don’t HAPPEN to sound like Bonham.
I’m waiting for their album, hoping that they would show more individuality, because they surely have the talent to be much MUCH more than LZ2.
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I think “sounding like Bonham” has been an industry standard drum sound for a while now; the whole Phil Collins/Hugh Padgham gated drum sound of the 1980s came from Collins’ love for “Kashmir” (also why his drums took up more frequency space on Genesis albums starting with Abacab). But, point taken: it’s a deliberate choice.
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Yes, that’s true. My point is: there’s sounding like Bonham and then there’s SOUNDING EXACTLY LIKE BONHAM. The tone plus the technique make for an uncanny resemblence. And it’s not only the drums of course. Too many deliberate choices to sound like someone else for my liking.
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I hear the Zep in there, but also they sound a lot like 4 Non-Blondes to me too.
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