A Liquid Landscape – Rogue Planet

When a Planet Leaves Its Orbit and Takes Great Music Along for the Ride

Every now and then an album appears without fanfare or grand announcements. It simply walks into the room, sits down and says, “Fancy a little adventure?” Such is the case with Rogue Planet, the new offering from Dutch art and alternative prog outfit A Liquid Landscape.

And honestly, after nearly a decade of silence, nobody would have blamed the band had they quietly drifted into the vast archives of progressive rock history. Instead, the Dutch quartet return sounding as though they have spent the past ten years secretly stockpiling inspiration and converting it into music.

The story of A Liquid Landscape began back in 1999 when brothers Niels van Dam (lead guitar) and Robert van Dam (bass) joined forces with vocalist and guitarist Fons Herder. Following several changes of names and drummers, Coen Speelman eventually completed the line-up, and under the banner of A Liquid Landscape they steadily built a reputation through their releases and live appearances alongside Anathema, Riverside, Soen, Karnivool, Thrice and Crippled Black Phoenix.

Then life happened. And later came Covid. Neither is particularly famous for helping musicians finish albums at speed.

Yet this lengthy hiatus was clearly not a creative ice age. Quite the opposite.

Rogue Planet sounds like the work of a band that knew precisely why it wanted to come back.

The two parts of “Few and Far Between” immediately pull the listener into their orbit. Part One slowly builds tension, restless and atmospheric, like dark clouds gathering somewhere beyond the horizon. Part Two opens the curtains and lets the light in, revealing the band’s melodic and almost weightless side. This blend of melancholy and spaciousness occasionally evokes memories of Anathema’s most emotional moments, while never sounding like anyone other than A Liquid Landscape.

“Intention” takes a more reflective route. The music glides gracefully and unfolds with an almost cinematic quality. There are faint traces of Pink Floyd drifting through the atmosphere, filtered through a contemporary alternative rock lens. The song explores human weakness, repetition and our astonishing ability to make precisely the same mistakes while somehow convincing ourselves they are brand-new ideas. Humanity is wonderfully talented like that.

“Consequence” tightens the screws considerably. Powerful guitars, muscular rhythms and a delightfully off-centre guitar solo ensure that the tension never drops. The band demonstrates a remarkable ability to balance force and elegance simultaneously. Nothing feels forced or self-conscious. Instead, it sounds like four musicians who understand perfectly when to unleash the storm and when to allow their songs room to breathe.

The equally fascinating two-part “Raven Song” follows a similar path. Angular and insistent guitars carve their way through the composition while Fons Herder’s restrained and expressive voice remains the emotional anchor. The second part gradually grows darker, heavier and increasingly cinematic. The synthesizers add dramatic flourishes, the drums gain tremendous momentum and the music conjures images somewhere between science fiction, impending catastrophe and a very unfortunate message arriving from a spaceship’s control room.

The album concludes with the magnificent nine-minute-plus “Virgo Calling”, and this is exactly how one should close a progressive rock album when the intention is to leave a lasting impression. Acoustic passages meet expansive melodies, the atmosphere grows increasingly immersive, the guitars gradually spread their wings and the vocal lines become almost hypnotic. It is the kind of piece that quietly demands an immediate second listen.

The title Rogue Planet refers to the astronomical phenomenon of a planet travelling through space without a fixed orbit. It is a powerful image and a fitting metaphor for a world that has never been more connected and yet often feels strangely isolated.

And perhaps that is precisely where the album’s greatest strength lies.

Rogue Planet is never cynical or despairing. It acknowledges darkness but refuses to surrender to hopelessness. Instead, A Liquid Landscape carefully balances introspection, power, beauty and a quietly persistent sense of optimism.

After almost a decade away, the Dutch quartet have not delivered an ordinary comeback album. They have crafted something emotionally resonant, atmospheric and impressively cohesive. Art rock, progressive rock and alternative rock merge into something that feels both immediately inviting and rewarding with repeated visits.

Or, to put it in suitably British terms:

If a lonely planet happens to drift through the universe sounding this good, one might consider following it.

Album Details

Artist: A Liquid Landscape
Album: Rogue Planet
Label: Glassville Records
Release Date: 28 May 2026 (Digital) / 5 June 2026 (CD & Vinyl)
Genre: Progressive Rock / Art Rock / Alternative Rock
Country: The Netherlands