Guwahati band Alien Sky Cult has been active for quite some time now. They released the first single of their as yet untitled upcoming album ‘Inanimate’ late last year. ‘Glass Cannon’ is a continuation of the progression the band has made over time, and its unbridled energy is a good sign of things to come.

The song is rooted in the sounds of metalcore and hardcore, but the band manages to avoid being corny the way some music in the genre ended up becoming in the 2010s. At the end of the day, ‘Glass Cannon’ has a rather catchy angle to it. It’s produced as well as anything that uses heavy sounds and the performances are super tight. The songwriting has the quick transitions, short sections and swift changes of energy that made metalcore and this aspect of metal cool in the first place. There’s a good balance of melodic and heavy, a welcome short burst of a breakdown, and thick guitar tones. As far as variety goes, ‘Glass Cannon’ switches time, riffs and aggression at the drop of a hat. Vocals are delivered in the half-spoken, half-growl that serves as a surprisingly good vehicle for lyrics that are lost a lot of the time in more brutal contexts. The listener will not be bored for a second over the song’s almost four-minute runtime as they will be made to switch tack to keep up with its pace.

The track is written as a statement against bigotry, general division and the powers that be; we live in a time where any form of social awareness and commentary is very important. Alien Sky Cult chooses to package this in a well-written and aggressive song.