Rogue FX - Endgame

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Rogue FX’s Endgame is an album with dual meanings. It completes the tale of Max Rogue’s struggle against Mind Corporation, started on the 5th Step EP, but also explores the volatile and uncertain nature of the times in which we live. Rogue FX reflects on how we can best resist and make positive change. The combination of the artist’s vocals and songwriting is bolstered by ear-grabbing synth and first-rate guest performances from some of the scene’s most talented singers and musicians.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Endgame, which I enjoy, is the way in which it explores its themes. The emotional depth and engagement, along with the imagery it creates, pull me inward and invest me in the story and the thematic richness woven into the music. The overall atmosphere mingles joy and melancholy with undeniable strength.

Another strong reason for my enjoyment of Endgame is the way in which Rogue FX blends his vocal performances and songwriting. His voice is unique and compelling, with its own tone and timbre that give it a fresh feeling. In combination with his thoughtful and well-written lyrics, it delivers a punch right in the emotions and carries me along through the light and shadow of the music.

Musically speaking, I find myself drawn to the intriguing, well-selected synth sounds that Rogue FX employs. He explores a wide variety of fascinating auditory textures and instrumental tones, interweaving them with beautiful melodies and harmonies. When one includes his guest artists, the depth only increases further and all of the touches they bring only attract me more.

All of his guests bring their unique perspectives to the music. The performances from Aisle 9, Hollywood Brown, Mayah Camara, Dilemmachine, Kirsty Dewar and ARPRAXIS are high quality and full of heart and soul. The result of their contributions is that the album keeps me fully invested in listening from start to finish.

My Favourite Songs Analyzed

“Shot in the Dark” starts as flashing chimes ring out and richly toned guitar entangles in a hypnotic pattern. Sharp drums burst as Rogue FX's voice leaps exuberantly into the music. The guitar has a groovy quality as the drums punch onward and Rogue FX captures the lyrics’ emotions.

A cleanly slicing synth intertwines in a dynamic pattern as the drums rebound below the smooth vocals. Radiant synth wraps around the chorus as the chimes flicker. The drums and bass interlock as Rogue FX's voice slides through with emotive expression. I enjoy Rogue FX's unique voice as it carries the lyrics.

The drums are gigantic and add motion as Aisle 9 plays a solo that cries out with heartfelt expression. His virtuosic skills add depth as Rogue FX captures this song’s feelings. Aisle 9’s guitar leaps out again to add even more life before the music comes to an end with glittering chimes and the punchy low end.

Our storyteller said he was “coasting along” and minding where he was going. He was driving blindly until he had something he wanted to say and “leave behind me all those rich ill gotten gains.” Suddenly his way was illuminated and his previous life was burned down but “trouble breathes inside me.” He adds that “in a fleeting time I was always waiting to feel right” as he wanted to be strong and to belong.

The narrator has taken a shot in the dark and it's too late because he can't “deal with the chain reaction” or wait to get to the “main attraction.” He says that he's “slave to the sound of the chain reaction.” He was “hunting so high” and searching low as he hid in plain sight, subdued, as losing didn't feel right

Our storyteller is tired of trying to “hold the line” when that line has to break. He has to “pull it down for all our sakes” and even though the stakes are high, he's got a stack of aces. He concludes that he isn't “so jaded” because out of dimming light “we are rearranging.”

A muscled drumbeat and Hollywood Brown’s echoing guitar come in as the hard-hitting bass jumps in as “Nightcrawling” kicks off . The guitar wriggles through as bright synth explodes and Rogue FX's resonant vocals carry the mysterious melody while the low end smacks hard.

The vocals fly out with intense feeling as the drums and bass add more propulsion. The chorus floats past with charming expression and the track accelerates. Hollywood Brown's guitar shines with a fierce gleam as a string-like synth entangles and tumbles. The guitar echoes with intricate energy and Rogue FX's vocal performance captures me with its expression and feeling. The guitar adds luminosity as the drums let fly.

The chorus bursts forth as flaring notes erupt and the drums and bass pound. Hollywood Brown’s guitar unfurls in shining motion as the vocals glide and the pounding percussion presses forward. Rogue FX's voice jumps as the drums flourish and metallic synth trickles. The pumping drums and bass take hold of the song and drive it to an end.

The narrator says that "out of the blues, we ignite" because now it's their time to come to life. He says he and the song's subjects are walking under a bridge at night "in the shadows, just out of sight." He talks about feeling "the flames building up," as they are full of increased power and "a thousand heartbeats electrify the air." He says it's okay because "it's our right to a reply."

Our storyteller says that they are night crawling. He adds that you need to "catch your breath, we’re cold calling and the night's falling so don't look now." He says that there is "systematic uninstalling now." Life has been difficult "on a knife," but they've been returning to life and "making moves to capitalize." They're going to "revolutionize, day by day, one by one" because they're not "comfortably numb."

The narrator says that "like warriors we are revived" as they are "turning tricks, immortalized in the air." They are amplified because it's their right to reply. He tells everyone to "watch me when the thunder starts" because they'll either have to step aside or fall apart. He says, "the transmission is mobilized, the revolution is televised." He concludes, “catch your breath in the air… amplified, don’t look now.”

“Missing You” opens as reverberating drums collide and an effulgent synth slowly slips while the bass rumbles. The active percussion moves as Rogue FX ’s ultra-silky voice slides with sensual energy while the bending synth wriggles past. Smoothly dazzling notes slip as metallic chimes ring and the angular bass slices.

Rogue FX’s voice has a sibilant expressiveness that I find compelling and fascinating, while the grunting bass notes rumble. Satin-smooth synth slips with easy, snaking energy while the vocals slide and intertwine. The drums are dynamic and complex while incandescent notes ring out with haunting, laid-back sensations.

The sharper low-end pulse supports the spoken word segment as chimes flash with soft radiance. The synth trumpets with a melancholy-tinged melody that bobs through the music with poppy energy. Once again, the resonating vocals move with a chocolatey feeling as the track drives to an end.

Our narrator asks if it’s right not to feel worried “of the shadows in the night” or to feel nothing but “self-control.” He wonders if it’s right to walk away now and not turn back. He asks, “Is it right to ask no questions to save your soul?” He says that he’s been missing the song’s subject and “all the words you used to say” for so long.

The next question for our storyteller is whether it’s right to “cherish bad times and all those sleepless nights when the tears flowed like raindrops in our hands.” He asks if it’s right to “praise in wonder at the chaos of it all” as they drift through hurricanes like ghosts. He wonders again if it’s right to feel nothing “for the shadows in the dark” or to walk away “just to save your soul.”

As the song concludes, the narrator reiterates that he’s been missing the other person and all the words they used to say and adds, “I’ve been missing you and the games we used to play.”

Gliding synth slips past as a steady percussion drive creates a disco feeling and the guitar in the distance slides past to start “Invisible Sun.” Rogue FX captures the overall atmosphere with his emotive and chilled-out vocals as the low end pounds with laid-back cool.

Mayah Camara mingles her voice to add her own powerful and heartfelt energy, while Dilemmachine contributes a stronger disco vibe. Mayah Camara takes over, broadcasting intensity and soaring hope as the low end continues to pulsate and the lambent notes shimmy. The percussion continues to pump as Rogue FX’s voice slides in and Dilemmachine’s guitar sings with ultra-chilly sensations while the low end drives. The booty-shaking energy is undeniable while a quickly tripping synth figure adds another layer of hypnotizing power.

Rogue FX carries the performance again, propelling it with his vocals, accented by Mayah Camara’s voice, while the low end pounds and Bending Grid’s synth pads slide. The entangling guitar grooves and dances while the two singers join their voices with uplifting life and the disco beat throbs. The thick bass continues to pulsate and the song comes to an end.

Our narrators point out that at least we've all made it through “another cold day where no kind of sunshine has come to take the anxiety away.” They say that at least they have tomorrow, which has to be better than today, adding, “as the world keeps holding out for our sun to rise.” They say we’re living in “invisible sun.”

The storytellers remind us that it's difficult to forget “we are living in a dangerous world with so much sorrow.” They speak of the tragedy of witnessing everything we've learned and add that we have the future, which is uncertain. They say, “when the rain is falling down, gotta break away,” and continue, “it's a dangerous world, it's like we're living on the edge.”

Now our narrators encourage us by saying “the invisible sun will rise and glow again, transforming everything we know again.” They say it will give us new life and hope, “breathing air into our blood flow,” as that invisible sun shines again.

“Renegades” begins with a resonant synth trembling as Rogue FX’s eloquent voice is touched by delicate notes exuding soft luminosity. The vocal melody is swirling and creates a sense of enigmatic expression while the funky low end shifts above the thick bass. Glimmering notes float through the music as the silky vocals shift, the rounded synth sailing out in a surprisingly soothing melody. Rogue FX captures the lyrics with full expression as the string-like synth flickers with easy-going smoothness.

The drums rebound and the vocals are full of a sense of resistance, while the warmer notes move through the background. The bassline is animated as the drums create ear-grabbing patterns and Rogue FX’s vocals drift with a distinctive quality that I find quite enjoyable. As the percussion shifts, the chorus floats on Rogue FX’s gossamer voice. Shining notes wander past and the track comes to an end on the ringing main melody.

The storyteller says that outside, the world is turning and there's darkness in the air. He continues, "Too many beds are burning," as leaders stare passively from their heights. He goes on to say that we have to know and asks why we shouldn't take the pain away.

Our narrator declares that they'll make a change and refuse to live those lies. He adds, “We wear the scars, guilty as charged," but points out that as the sun rises, "A new way of life is not out of reach," and hope still remains alive.

The storyteller proclaims, "We can be renegades, burning passion inside," pointing out that this time, "Our destiny rides." As the wealthy continue to accumulate more wealth, their "Empire building serves corruption and exploitation."

Now, our narrator says that there's too much power to preserve, but people are awakening. They're enforcing a "cease and desist" in order to "crash the world and start again." He encourages people to "Shake it up" because the dream hasn't died.

Fulminating bass pulses with dangerous weight as rapidly flashing, hollow notes twist with a technical, robotic sound to open “Endgame”. Rogue FX's voice is full of smooth feeling and a sense of revolution, while glittering sounds drift past with silky ease. The mixture of encouragement and shadow within the velvety tones of the lead vocals captures the message of the song.

The low end is propulsive and dramatic while the pulsating notes above shine with intensity. Crystal notes twinkle and float as Rogue FX calls out with heartfelt emotion, drawing me into the power of his words. Tranquil notes shiver away in gentle touches as the drums continue to throb along with heavy bass. The sliding synth sound has a ghostly sensation as it runs through the music and the drums and bass slam together.

A sense of defiant success fills the lyrics, delivered by the soft but deadly vocals. As the low end heaves, tremulous sounds move along with chimes that levitate with a spectral glow. As the spoken word part flows, the drums and bass continue to throb hard. The slicing melody leaps as Rogue FX drives on again before the song ends.

The storyteller says that everyone has "come so far, taken so long and now we're high on hope." They reacted to a call for help and walked on a tightrope. There was "a power grab, a turn of tides, a journey back from hell." Now there's a cry for freedom and a "clarion call for lives they cannot sell." He adds that they've reached the endgame so "that's how we roll, watch the show.”

Our narrator talks of filthy lies and houses of cards in "an empire built on sand." He adds that comfort can't be found in vipers’ nests when "karma takes its stand." He speaks of the oppressed with their "broken souls, lost hearts and minds," but says that change is coming and "the good will out from this revolution show."

As the song concludes, the narrator says that in the endgame, "thy will be done" and everything has come undone. He says they'll be "making it right, lifting it high" as they reach the end of the night.

“Dancing in the Night” begins as echoing sounds move with smoothly crystalline chimes and a bouncing drum beat. The open-sounding synth has a silky delicacy as Rogue FX mingles his voice with Kirsty Dewar’s to create expressive emotion. The chiming notes are fragile and luminous as the vocals create touching affection that draws me in.

Rounded notes tremble with warmth as the digital-sounding synth floats while the energizing lead melody is cut with shimmering chimes. As the low end cruises, the computerized-sounding synth pulses and chimes glimmer with tenderness.

Kirsty Dewar’s voice is full of softness and soul-deep feeling as she carries the melody, and Rogue FX joins in while metallic notes in the distance trickle. Solid percussion guides the music as Kirsty Dewar calls out and the pulsing mid-range synth adds shape while the low end propels the song. Gentleness permeates the song as the drifting main melody sails out and wraps around my ears.

The low end drives on with a smooth heartbeat as the tripping sounds glide and a drum heartbeat mixes with the bass to add shape. As the song ends, a xylophone-like sound echoes out and the track slides easily to a close—before the drums pound and now the lyrics mingling flow as the distance turns hazy.

The male storyteller speaks of "high times we had, far too many years ago" when they were living different lives in different times. He says that "now the universe collides and shines, spotlights on me and you." He adds that people come and go, and there are "no more empty places, no changing faces or holding on to broken souvenirs."

Our narrators say that in the past "there was magic in the air and we knew it was so right," as they danced in the dark and "the stars above our heads, they were shining just like ice" as they danced through the night.

"Photographs fade away just like tail lights in the dark," says the female storyteller as she chases dreams day in and out. "It takes your breath and leaves you reeling, ‘cause life can hit so hard," so she wants to stop clocks and make time stand still. She adds, "It takes some real ambition, not indecision, to illuminate a galaxy of stars, make them shine like diamonds."

The male narrator points out that the book of love is black and white. It’s "heartbreak 101." He asks the song’s subject not to tell any lies and to keep their trust. He adds, "(The) relationship’s not done, you want to give some positives." He concludes that you need to leave a good influence "not negatives."

Conclusion

Endgame is an emotional and atmospheric exploration of defiance, passion, acceptance and revolutionary resistance. I enjoy both the musical and lyrical content it holds and find myself wanting to revisit it has a listening experience over and over again.