De Van – Planet Botox (2010)
The amount of talented bands coming out of Sweden is absolutely staggering. Stockholm, Sweden’s De Van is one of the more unique bands I have heard, and quite possibly one of the better ones. Unlike many of their peers who fit more into the glam & sleaze genres, De Van’s music has a more Finnish sound. I would describe their sound as melodic metal, but hanging one genre on the band doesn’t really seem appropriate after listening to Planet Botox. De Van is a little bit metal, a little bit hard rock, a dash of electronica and 100% great!
Eric De Van has a huge voice, but not one that you would expect to hear in a metal band. His voice is clean and clear, and seems well suited to the melodic rock of De Van. The band’s sound is also bolstered by the keyboard playing of Johan Adler. His playing does not over power the music of De Van, it augments it. Typically, I am not a big fan of keyboard oriented rock, but Adler’s keyboards blends so well with the up tempo rhythms of the music, I have enjoyed this sound a lot.
I would describe the opening number “Another Perfect Day” as a melodic headbanger. The drum rhythms are heavy and will definitely get you rocking. “Shine” is a heavy rocker that sounds like a blend of Disturbed, Nine Inch Nails and dare I say, Information Society. That description sounds like an odd mix, but this is a really cool song.
“Plastic Surgery” seems like an odd title for a song. De Van has taken a rarely sang about subject and crafted a well written song.
“I Lose My Faith” is a slower number that builds in to a modern rock beast that ought to be an international hit for De Van. This is a great tune, and one you should all check out. (The “I Lose My Faith” video is below!)
These are just some of the standout tracks on Planet Botox. There really isn’t a bad song in the bunch. If you want to check out a new band that has a cool sound, you need to check out De Van! You can listen to songs from Planet Botox, and download the song “Shine” for free on De Van’s Reverbnation Page!
You can purchase Planet Botox at this link.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Another Perfect Day
2. Shine
3. Plastic Surgery
4. Feed Me
5. I Lose My Faith
6. Run
7. Not Good
8. Rain
9. Here in Shalaland
10. Planet Botox
11. Waiting for the Sun
De Van is:
Eric De Van – Lead vocals
Johan Adler – Keyboard
Greg Andersson – Guitar, backing vocals
Cee – Bass, backing vocals
Mike Lavér – Lead guitar
Joakim Janthe – Drums
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Hard Rock Hideout 
De Van …. keep on Rockn…we are listening here in Canada 🙂