Motus Vita Est – Mašina LP (PDV Records)

Motus Vita Est is one of the longevous Croatian hardcore punk bands from Zagreb and presumably one of the widely acknowledged acts outside the Balkan region. With over thirty years of career on their backs and legendary albums such as Vita Est (DIY, 1988), Cogito Aude (Sacro Egoismo, 1990), Razlike (Fast & Strong, 1998), Nasred Puta (2002), Psi (Zvuk Močvare, 2004), the band has treated fans with a profoundly anticipated album called Mašina. This remarkable album delivers even more melodic side of Motus, primarily showcased throughout impressive guitar harmonies, but let’s discuss the lyrics first. Motus Vita Est is solely concentrating on the principal subject of the record, the machine that scrapes mankind on a regular basis. Each song has been addressed like it’s has been reaped from a secluded diary, so it’s more than obvious that Motus Vita Est undoubtedly possesses the abilities to transcribe relevant concerns from a very personal stance. The band covers several themes such as local policies, class struggle, middle-age crisis, purposely imposed customs and culture, mocks various circumstances, life in general and deviations of life in modern society. Motus obviously incorporates enormous doses of sarcasm and humor in their music, intending to raise consciousness among the consumers of their album. Music-wise, Motus Vita Est is entirely relying on the profoundly vigorous tempos, warm sounding basslines, occasionally palm-muted guitars saturated with impressively sounding harmonizations. The rhythm section seems so precise, demonstrated by the magnificent drumming and flexible basslines. Besides massive palm-muting technics, guitars also showcase thoughtfully arranged chord progressions, octaves, and scales. Mašina glides somewhence between hardcore punk and melodic punk rock sound, perfectly mingled all together in one unifying composition, empowered by impressive arrangements and dynamics. Mašina has been published by PDV Records on vinyl and it’s available in two variants, standard black or red-colored vinyl. Mašina is also accessible on compact disc and at all streaming services, so make sure to check out this amazing album by the legendary Croatian hardcore punk band.