The Darkness / Greta Van Fleet (photo by Travis Shinn)

When Greta Van Fleet broke into the mainstream with their combination of Led Zeppelin-esque sound and ’70s throwback appeal, the band drew comparisons to The Darkness — another like-minded band with a flair for vintage hard rock.

The Darkness singer Justin Hawkins has now given his take on Greta Van Fleet, offering his younger contemporaries some praise and tough love in an interview in the new issue of Classic Rock.



Hawkins praised Greta Van Fleet and their potential, complimenting Josh Kiszka’s vocals. But he isn’t sold on the songwriting:

“The timbre of Josh Kiszka’s voice is so similar to Robert Plant’s that you can’t help but be excited when you hear him sing. There’s lots of potential for them to be as amazing as Led Zeppelin, but they’re going to need some better songs. When something like this comes along and everyone gets excited, it shows you how little we have to offer as a genre. That’s not to slag them off, because I think they have the potential to be amazing.”

(Buy: Tickets to The Darkness’ Upcoming Shows)

The comments are generally positive from The Darkness singer, especially considering his band served up the declaratory “Rock and Roll Deserves To Die” as a single earlier this year. Hawkins even goes so far as to say Greta Van Fleet — who’ve said their next album is “definitely much different” than their debut— could reach new heights:

“They could be the next phase of what Led Zeppelin should have been doing. There’s nothing wrong with adopting classic rock choreography and clothes, but you have to kick on from there.”

The Darkness just released their sixth studio album, Easter Is Cancelled, and the band will tour the UK in November. Meanwhile, Greta Van Fleet are set to play a string of sold-out European shows before embarking on high-profile South American tour alongside Metallica next spring.