METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof has praised GRETA VAN FLEET, saying that the Michigan outfit has "the right influences" and doesn't rely on backing tracks to perform its music. Despite the fact that GRETA VAN FLEET has managed to sell out shows all over the world, the four-piece has been criticized for channeling a sound uncannily similar to LED ZEPPELIN, with some music fans accusing singer Josh Kiszka of copy-and-pasting Robert Plant's vocal style. Asked by Sweden's RockSverige for his opinion of GRETA VAN FLEET, Kurdt said: "I think it's wonderful. Of course they sound so much like LED ZEPPELIN and people get kind of, you know… the plagiarism is a factor, but then at the same time, I'm, like, well, at least they're playing and at least they have the right influences and they're being a rock band, they look like a rock band and they're doing something. They're young and obviously they've gotten into their parents' record collection and listened to it and figured it out. If you give the kids a chance, they will figure it out, because there's a generation of kids that are out there going, 'Where's our swaggering rock star guys? We don't want to listen to Eminem complain about Trump. Where's our cool rock stars?' They don't have them, so they have to beat them and figure it out for themselves, and they are." According to Vanderhoof, GRETA VAN FLEET's success "is a good sign that if people actually do it… if you build it, they will come. It's obvious," he said. "It's organic. Even in this day and age, and even when it sounds old and they think this isn't hip and this isn't cool and… Rock and roll is rock and roll, and people like rock and roll because of what it means and what it's supposed to be." Earlier in the month, GRETA VAN FLEET scored four Grammy Award nominations, one for each major rock category — "Best Rock Album", "Best Rock Song", "Best Rock Performance" — and a "Best New Artist" nod. The band's debut album, "Anthem Of The Peaceful Army", debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart in July despite earning a lukewarm 53/100 score on review curation site Metacritic. METAL CHURCH's 12th full-length studio album, "Damned If You Do", was released on December 7 via Rat Pak Records. The latest disc is the follow-up to 2016's "XI", which saw the return of legendary frontman Mike Howe.
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