Zero Boys – History Of

These recordings were originally released posthumously in 1984 in a cassette pressing of unknown quantities. Now fifteen years later "History Of" has finally been officially reissued on C.D. along with another reissue of the Zero Boys' classic L.P., "Vicious Circle." For those not familiar with the Zero Boys, they were in a way the Midwest's answer to the melodic hardcore sound of Southern California bands like the Descendents and Adolescents. While the band had their own unique sound the caliber of their songwriting was comparable to that of the aforementioned bands.

"History Of" was recorded by a slightly different lineup of "Vicious Circle" but many of the songs on this C.D. are just as powerful as the material on the band's debut L.P.. The song writing is a little more diverse on "History Of" with tunes ranging from the high speed hardcore blitzkrieg of "Dingy Bars Suck," to the metal influenced "I Need Energy" and the melodic pop Punk of "Drive In" and the alternate version of "Trying Harder." It seems like at times they were combining the band's signature sound with influences from both Minor Threat and Iggy Pop.

While some low fi demo versions of several of these tracks appeared on the "Blood Is Good" bootleg, "History Of" proves to be a far more definitive recording of the Zero Boys' material following "Vicious Circle." The C.D. also features the tracks from 1980's "Living In the 80's" 7", which many might argue was the band's best record. While anyone looking for an introduction to the band should first pick up "Vicious Circle," this is an essential companion album for any Zero Boys fan.


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-Ditch-