Vicious Cycle is the twelfth studio album by Lynyrd Skynyrd, released in 2003. It was the first album recorded by the band following the death of original bassist Leon Wilkeson, with the song "Mad Hatter" being written in his honour. The album is the first to feature bassist Ean Evans, the first mainstream album with Michael Cartellone on drums (he appeared on Christmas Time Again, which was largely ignored), and the last album that guitarist Hughie Thomasson played on before he died. It included the single "Red, White & Blue" which peaked at number 27 on the US Mainstream Rock charts.
The CD booklet contains a recount by year of events in the band's history since 1964.
In the album, Kid Rock features in the bonus track, a remake of "Gimme Back My Bullets". Wilkeson died during recording, but does appear on two songs, "The Way" and "Lucky Man".