Exclaim! called "Storms" "a brooding, seven-and-half minute emo classic."[8]Willamette Week called Mare Vitalis the band's "most essential album," writing that "[singer-guitarist Chris] Crisci and guitarist Aaron Pillar split the difference between their post-rock future and the driving punk that birthed the band."[9] The Chicago Reader thought that "on 'And Nothing Less' and 'Santa Maria' the Appleseed Cast find nirvana through repetition."[10]Vulture deemed it "oceanic indie rock."[1]Stereogum named "Forever Longing the Golden Sunsets" in their list of "30 Emo Songs: Late 90s & Early 2000s Essentials."[11]