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    Decapolis 2000/The Appleseed Cast
    The Appleseed Cast — Mare Vitalis cover

    The Appleseed Cast

    Mare Vitalis

    (2000)

    Reviewed by Tom Bastian

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    Label Deep Elm RecordsDecapolis2000
    emoindie rockpost-rock

    I have heard from quite a few people that this band is hands down one of the best live bands around. I have yet to see them live, but judging from their two CD's, I can definitely see how this could very well be true. This CD picks up with the second track, Fishing the Sky. The guitar work on this song is just awesome, and everything seems to fit together perfectly. They continue in this same manner throughout the entire CD. If anything would be given the Emo label, this band would definitely get it. For those of you who haven't heard them they are sort of a mix between American Football (the band), Sunny Day Real Estate, and Mineral. Yet due to their creativity and energy these guys definitely bring something to this genre to help them stand alone. The drummers great, the vocals penetrating, and the bass and guitar melodies are just captivating. This is one of those albums that you may not totally get the first time you listen to it, especially if you just hear it in passing. But as you spend more time with it and really take the time to listen to it, like myself, you will eventually fall in love with it.

    A-

    Other coverage for this album

    HM Magazine #82Reviewed by Ben MengdenThis one's easy. This is where beauty is. This is an almost flawless album. Definitely it is a niche sound shared by few bands and if you loved their first album, it might be a big step for you. It wasn't hard for me to see it as very different but love it all the more, even for that reason. End of the Ring Wars, Appleseed's first release, was in my player quite a bit when this review opportunity…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by ConradThis album to me is in the emo-ish direction. First off I'm really into the creativity they display on guitar. That right there is probably the best part of the album. The songs seem to be constructed really well with a certain amount of direction. The vocal melodies are passionate and melodic without being poppy. And the songs range from a steady beat to really slow, droning tempos. I was less…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by TimThis CD was actually interesting to listen to. The guitar work was pretty good and the songs were all fairly solid. The only problem with this CD is that I can't remember a single song that I listened to. They all ran together a little too much. However, this is good stuff for this kind of music. B-The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Josh SpencerOn their second time out, Appleseed Cast thankfully pull away from Sunny Day Real Estate comparisons and "cookie-cutter emo" criticisms that held down their first album. Mare Vitalis (Latin for "sea life") is about as good as emotional post-hardcore gets, with chiming distortion and crescendos that build for miles, technical drumming that could fill an album by itself, and vocals that sometimes…

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    More from The Appleseed Cast

    2001Low Level Owl, Vol. 11999The Appleseed Cast | Planes Mistaken For Stars | Race Car Riot1998The End of the Ring Wars2003Two Conversations2002Lost Songs2001Low Level Owl, Vol. 2

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