The Approach and the Execution – Kings among Runaways (2014)

After blowing us away with their debut album “The Blood March” back in 2011, The Approach and the Execution returns with another master class in Melodic Metal with “Kings among Runaways”. Now relocated to California and with a few line-up changes, The Approach makes a very strong comeback with nine tracks filled with awesome melodic passages and some serious guitar wizardry.

Opening with the brilliant “The Warrior’s Psalm”, the band delivers their signature vocal harmonies surrounded with catchy riffing. The band’s ability to switch between singing styles is quite impressive and they are not afraid to use it. Also, their guitarists Andy Fisher and Mike Notte showcase their talents with excellent solos and acrobatic passages. The second track is a familiar one since it is a re-recording of their epic song “The March of The Guillotine”. If you have a song this awesome, I am sure more than a few bands would try to get it on every album they produce. The main noticeable difference here is that the female vocals are gone and seems like some of the guitar work is improved.

The headbanging fest continues with “Hymn of Victory” and its crafty tempo changes, and the acrobatic “A Grave Marked for Two”, with a healthy Hard Rock-ish vibe on clean vocals and a good dosage of melodic passages in the vein of Kalmah and similar outfits. The album includes another hit from their debut release titled: “The Plague Knows No Prejudice”, indeed one of the best tracks of that release. Here they also re-adjusted the vocal arrangements and polished the track a bit more. We love how the band gets on a roll and cranks out a melodic masterpiece filled with intricate bass guitar lines and just the right riffs to keep things fresh and engaging.

Riding down from the interlude, “Faith”, the band explodes into the epic “Aligned”. This is our favorite song of this release thanks to its lush vocal arrangements and killer guitar leads. With some airs of bands like Dark Tranquility, Amorphis, and even Children of Bodom, this band has their own sound and yet they manage to incorporate tons of influences in very cohesive and creative manners. The album closes on a high note with the intense “Ghost Pilot”, consisting of superb drumming and melancholic vocal arrangements.

If you like fast paced music that is quite diverse and melodic, this is a self-released about you should go and buy. The Approach and the Execution continues to blow people away with their unique sound and high doses of guitar acrobatics. While everybody else is jumping into the trendy genres, this band continues to do their own thing and commands attention thanks to their musical quality and not some gimmick.

Label: Self-Released

Release: April 8th, 2014

Genre: Melodic Metal

Country: USA