Scottish thrash metal outfit Dominicide have released a debut record -they call it an album, but it’s shorter than Reign in Blood by about forty seconds so I’m calling it an EP – that’s a real first class calling card.

The eponymous opening track isn’t particularly thrashy, if truth be told, rather being a classy slice of melodic metal that certainly piques the interest and sets the blood flowing.

More worthy of the thrash tag is second track Power Corrupts the Sane, which features some pumping bass from Harry Butler and absolutely insane double bass drumming from Panagiotis Rodopoulos. Vocalist Sean Dougan has a bit of The Almighty’s Ricky Warwick’s bite about his vocal style – no bad thing in my book – which gives a snarlingly melodic tinge to the material, the whole being a pleasing serving of Brit thrash that’ll get your head banging and no mistake.

Once the Serpents Rise is a bit more contemporary in sound, thrashing less and grooving more, but thankfully retaining the melodic edge that the band so clearly relish. Butler and Rodopoulos both feature prominently again, in a mix that’s geared to highlight their respective talents, but guitarists Craig Law and Christopher Blair both make telling contributions to this track too.

Next up is Pent Up Rage, which I originally misheard as Pants of Rage, and here the band mix up the thrash and the groove well, cooking up a pit-inspiring maelstrom of noise that’s paced well and performed with pleasing precision and commitment.

Monstrosity is a well muscled beast, hefty in the riff area and with some contagious gang vocals at chorus time, whilst closing track War Machine rounds things out in suitably bellicose fashion, firing on all cylinders and reminding the listener just how compelling a proposition Dominicide could turn out to be in the future if this is anything to go by.

Dominicide is out now.