Speaking as a musician... When I received an email a while back from my buddy in Florida ( drummer) about these guys, I knew that I had to take a listen. We both grew up on Zeppelin, Floyd, Maiden, etc... and between us both, I think that we had just about every Zeppelin EP, rare recording, book, poster, print, etc ever made. Anyway... As I first listened to GVF, it was with a good deal of skepticism and prejudice yet I was almost immediately impressed. A few songs later and I continued to feel like they had talent, were making music that they liked, and were creating a marketable sound that a lot of other bands have failed to do when paying homage to their idols.
I'd also like to say that it seems that when I was younger, I was more easily turned off by bands like this, for the same reasons that I hear a lot of people talking bad about GVF... That they are copy-cats, that they aren't the same as the real deal, that they're just capitalizing on the popularity of Led Zeppelin. But the older that I get, the more that I feel like it's not always so cut and dry. These kids are obviously creating music that they are passionate about. They're not trying to copy the image of Zeppelin by trying to APPEAR like Zeppelin, and most importantly... the songs that they're writing are obviously not simply duplicated nor regurgitated. They've developed a sound that although very obviously embodies Zeppelin, still possesses a great deal of respectable originality.
It seems as if bands these days just can't win. If they are too different from a band that they are possibly trying to emulate, then "They just suck... They don't even sound like the original". Yet if they are nailing a certain sound or persona, then they are judged as "Imitators... The original was better". But here's a thought...
Led Zeppelin is long gone and we'll never hear Bonzo and JPJ, and Plant, and Page together ever again. The wonderful music that they created is just a memory... no matter how many times we play those albums over and over... there is no more. But as open-minded fans who might appreciate this fact, now we have some young guys that are allowing us to experience a little different flavor of one best rock-n-roll bands of all time. I'm embracing it, enjoying these new songs, and finding contentment in hearing some very well done tunes that truly take me back to what it felt like to be a teen before the world completely went to hell. Thank you, Greta Van Fleet... for the tribute, for the respect, for the originality, for the similarities, and for all the passion and hard work that you put into it. As a life-long Zeppelin fan, you guys have my genuine admiration.
