The late 1970s and early 1980s saw a massive explosion of hardcore punk bands, and the genre was often seen as being dominated by scenes in the US like California (which spawned Black Flag and Dead Kennedys amongst others) and Washington DC (home to Bad Brains and Minor Threat). 1982's Vicious Circle, though, was the work of the Indianapolis-based Zero Boys, and as such was something of an oddity - a polished, ferocious punk opus not from one of the coastal areas, but from the Midwest.Complete with its garish cover art, the album has been re-released multiple times on different labels since its original exposure well over 25 years ago. Secretly Canadian, based in the Zero Boys' home state of Indiana, is the latest label to show it the light of day again. This particular version is remastered and features all 14 songs that were originally on the album as well as "She Said Goodbye" and "Slam and Worm" which didn't originally appear on it but were recorded during the same sessions. Incidentally, Secretly Canadian are also reissuing History Of, a sort of post-mortem record dating from 1983.Comprising those 16 songs and all in a touch over 26 minutes, Vicious Circle is a furious, uncompromising record. It's difficult to find fault here, and anyone who has any affection for 80s hardcore will find some thrills on offer. The album stands up strongly next to classics like Minor Threat's sole 1983 album Out of Step, for example, which had similar themes of teenage angst. With particular reference to stunning songs like "New Generation", "Livin' in the 80s" and the brilliant "Civilization's Dying", Vicious Circle deserves to be recognised as a genuine classic. It sounds as furious and righteous now as it must have done at the time, especially given the care with which it has been remastered - everything sounds crisp and as clean as you would like - vocals, drums, guitars and bass - and whilst the lyrics are hard to make out, that's both a key feature and potentially a key appeal of hardcore anyway.Like a lot of hardcore bands, Zero Boys were not a long-lasting outfit. Despite that, Vicious Circle remains a striking testament to their talent and ferocity, and as this release attests, this is music that is definitely still worth hearing and taking notice of. 91%mp3:>Â Zero Boys: 'Civilization's Dying' Zero Boys official website