Customer Reviews

Mare Vitalis

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

From the moment I heard this album a couple of years ago, i knoew it would be one of the most memorable albums in my life. I fell in love with this album, the same time fell in love with the ocean, and that connection will be permanent in my mind. It feels like floating on waves, surrounded by wonder. Storms, and the track following are absolutely beautiful. Appleseed cast did a tremendous job following this album wiht the LLO Series as well.

This is too good to be true. The appleseed cast has far surpassed their last full length. Their new drummer Josh has a great style, filled with almost sometimes jazzy fills and with dry bells...its so creative. Forget 'emo' or 'post-hardcore.' These guys rock.

The End of the Ring Wars was presented as a psuedo-concept album; singer/guitarist Chris Crisci had broken up with his girlfriend, so he designed the album after his experiences. Hence, Ring Wars was a dark, yet melodic collection of tunes revolving around how life goes on after loss. Mare Vitalis is similiar to their debut album in the sense that the whole album has an overall view: the sea.

Roughly translated as "Sea Life," the title gives a hint as to whats in store for the listener: a theme revolving around the sea. "The Immortal Soul of Mundo Cani" begins the album, churning out slow minor chords. As the song eventually builds up to vocals, it simply ends. Almost a teaser, "..Mundo Cani" almost reminds one of their previous album, but simply vanishes to the more "matured" sound of Appleseed Cast.

The album is no where near as dark as Ring Wars, but at the same time not exactly head-over-heels happy. The majority of the tracks are fresh, bright and brimming with energy. "Fishing the Sky" and "Santa Maria" are two examples of this, with duel intertwining guitar lines and expressive vocals, thanks to Mr. Crisci.

Some of the change comes from the gain of Josh ('Cobra'), the new drummer. From a drumming perspective, this album is amazing. Non-stop cymbals splashes, back-beats and high-hat rolls keep the listener on their toes. By the time you think you have `em figured out, you're given a whole new lick to think about.

By and large, this album is amazing. While not cheery per se, it's a sharp contrast from the brooding overtones the excellent End of the Ring Wars held. So if you haven't discovered Appleseed Cast yet, pick yourself up a copy. You won't be disappointed.

The first time I heard Applessed Cast I thought, "Great, another Mineral clone." Then I started listening to them more and they quickly became one of my favorite emo bands. A few months later I saw that they had a new album out. My friend bought it and we both listened to the first song with our fingers crossed. I was very dissapointed. Then a few weeks later I borrowed the album and I now think Appleseed Cast is the best emo band currently playing. While the first song wasn't the best, the rest of the album was one of the most moving pieces I have ever heard. I never felt the way I did when I listened to this album except for Sunny Day Real Estate. This album is much more rounded than their first. They have managed to create songs that sound happy without sounding poppy (The Get Up Kids). Buy this album. It will send shivers down your spine.

Once again, the gang from Deep Elm strike gold with yet another impressive effort from Appleseed. If you haven't heard "The End of the Ring Wars" by now, buy BOTH of their full lengths and treat your ears to music that's worthwhile. Appleseed once again takes the listener on a epic journey that ranges from trembling melodies to full-frontal power chord explosions. Save that Top 40 garbage for the mindless masses and indulge in some music that will stir the soul and make you rejoice/cry that you're still alive.

This record starts off with what appears to be an instrumental... until about a minute and a half later where some vocals begin. In fact, most of this record seems to be mostly instrumental, like the two albums that follow this record, Low Level Owl Volume One and Low Level Owl Volume Two. The thing is, the vocals are merely in the background for the most part, with the exception of maybe just Track Number 3, Forever Longing The Golden Sunsets. If you're into instrumental post-rock music that takes some analyzation and some long and deep pondering, this record is definitely for you, despite the fact that there are vocals and lyrics to all but one of the songs, Mare Mortis. While I was really into their latest album, Two Conversations, where there were no instrumentals and was expecting the same from this, I've come to the decision that this may be better of an album. It's Raw. It's full of emotion. It's about as damn good as a record can get.

I grew up listening to this album over and over and forever longing is still probably my favorite song. Not a sing track worth skipping on this record. Amazon seems to be out of the vinyl, but you can still get some of the remaining copies directly from graveface records. Comes in sky blue/white and black/gold vinyl