On 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 sound like Perry Farrell (Jane's Addiction/Porno for Pyros) as an emo singer. The clean-tone guitar melody lines accent the rhythms superbly, moving from plaintive '90s indie rock minimalism to passionate Cure/U2-style moments. There's no lyric sheet, so expect to spend some time deciphering the content of the album if that's your thing. You won't be able to unravel the introspection and stories by casual listening. If you're sick of the nasality, treble, and drama of emo already, you'll want to shun Mare Vitalis. If you're still addicted or haven't joined the bandwagon yet, you can't get much better than this.
3 tocks
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 Tom BastianI 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…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-Similar sounding releases
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2005SettlefishThe Plural of the Choir
2002...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of DeadSource Tags and CodesMore from The Appleseed Cast
2001Low Level Owl, Vol. 1
1998The End of the Ring Wars
2001Low Level Owl, Vol. 2
2002Lost Songs
1999The Appleseed Cast | Planes Mistaken For Stars | Race Car Riot
2003Two Conversations
