Search - Appleseed Cast :: Mare Vitalis

Out of the Ring and into the Ocean

S. Alix | NYC | 07/31/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Sophomore release by the Ultra talented Appleseed Cast. Mysteriously titled Mare Vitalis(Sea Life), and on the cover we find a heart floating in an ocean, which is how this Record will make you feel.It begins with a teaser of an intro song that you wish would go on for at least 2 more minutes, and then flies into Fishing the Sky, which is a very catchy riff driven song that swirls and moves inside with a nice melody and high sung lyrics. What follows is a well played collection of songs that are much lighter than the work they did in "Ring Wars" but still contain a meloncholy feeling as if your stranded on a desert Island. You can tell these talented performers and musicians take their music seriously. Each sound and strung instrument sound as if perfectly timed. Each lyric fading away as the lyrics are sometimes very hard to understand, and of course they are not included in the cd's booklet. Chris' vocals are much more tame this time around with not as much screaming, and even more interesting is on track 7 he totally shifts to a totally different vocal style and it rocked my socks off. The drumming is still incredible, as it was on Ring Wars. This album is very well done, but it does lose a little something from track 1 to 10. Its not THAT big of a deal but it sort of wears itself out before you finish the CD. That would be it's only flaw, but its ten times better then whatever is being played on your radio right now. I recommend purchasing their latest release LOW LEVEL OWL VOLUME I, which you can get off deepelm.com right now BEFORE its release on Aug 21st. It surpasses this album in every way, but this is still a Jewel and should be treasured as the band's amazing effort, and incredibly done masterpiece. It shows that RING WARS was no fluke, and LLO I will blow you even further away. In short, if you enjoyed THE END OF THE RINGS WARS, you will LOVE this. If you enjoy EMO in general you will LOVE this. If you're searching for a band that is TRULY about their music and aren't afraid to experiment and go beyond expectations then purchase and ENJOY this incredible experience in music."

Truly original and innovative

Michael Diedrick | Milwaukee, WI | 12/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Appleseed Cast reaches me in a way that no other band I've heard does. The way music moves us is impossible to know, but I do know this: AC is precise, inspired and absolutely rocks the paint off the walls. This is music you've never heard before, and a place you've never imagined, all while being the sounds of the post-punk bands of the late 70s and early 80s.The band is tight, the percussion is thoughtful, and the songs by themselves move you through the neighborhood of thoughts, each corner shows a new street. You get a feel for each street, for each turn, and then a voice that comes out of nowhere three-quarters of the way through the song gives you another layer that brings a new meaning.The songs add up to something much bigger, the city named Mare Vitalis is a place rich with your own meaning, lush with textures. Every AC album is a destination that lets you peel the layers away to discover your own meaning, your own take of the landscape. AC isn't a band to shy away from taking chances, and each album will be something you've never heard. There's no hint of selling out to make the pop song, though clearly they have the talent to do that if they wanted. And when they get close, they muddle it up and push it much farther, giving you something likeable and still innovative.Sure, you can call this Emo if you want, but don't expect the pop of the Promise Ring. You might call this more influenced to early Athens music; this moves the story forward as much as R.E.M. did in 1982. In all, one of the best bands of the last ten years, innovative, inspired and truly original."

This album actually deserves a 5 star rating

N. Horan | Maryland | 07/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's difficult to describe how ridiculously good this album is. The

Appleseed Cast has such a unique and incredible sound...it's unbelievable that they're not more well known than they are. The guitars on this album are beautiful, and the drumming is unlike anything you will hear anywhere else...ever. If I continue trying to describing this album in words, it's only going to take away from how good it is. Just buy it, listen to it a few times. You'll be hooked, I don't care who you are."