Band:	No Return
Album:	Manipulated Mind
Style:	Death metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	September 21, 2008
A review by:	Jeff

01. Manipulated Mind
02. Puzzle Of Life
03. Rising
04. Take Me Beyond
05. New Items
06. Blackness
07. Carnal Violence
08. The Right Course
09. Out Of Control

No Return is the perfect example of a band which has collapsed when it was at the top. After "Machinery" and the departure of a lot of its members, No Return has never found the way to come back to level of popularity that they've reached at the beginning of this century? Though our French Death metallers are still alive and after the really good "No Return" which unfortunately didn't find a well deserved success, they're back again with "Manipulated Mind", the album which will maybe give to them the opportunity to come back in front of the French Metal scene. Let's hope that people will listen to this album, No Return deserves to be considered as a leader of the French Metal company.

"Manipulated Mind" uses the same recipe that we we're able to find on the old releases. One more time, the combo plays a really fast and aggressive Death Metal with however really technical guitars soli and great melodies. Don't believe that the band plays some kind of trendy Metalcore or Gothenburg Death Metal, here we're in front of a cool Death mixed with Thrashy riffs but in my opinion the strong point of this album come from the really good technical influences that we can find on each songs. "Manipulated Mind" is not an album of basic and boring Death, sure this is Death with strong blasting riffs and violent vocals but on each songs you'll always find a good complex and technical riffs with finally a big complex solo. To enjoy No Return, you have to like complex Death, this is not like Quo Vadis and such bands, No Return doesn't play progressive Metal but if you like Thrash and love crazy guitar solo I'm sure that you'll enjoy "Manipulated Mind".

The production of the new release is perfect and I like the cover art which is clearly in the spirit of the covers that the band used for its previous albums. Even if only Alain Clement is the last survivor of the original line-up, the new members are all really good and Moreno Grosso proposes one more time a really convincing interpretation. "Manipulated Mind" is a bit short with only nine songs and 37 minutes of music but all in all the songs are really good and you'll not find any break from the beginning to the end of the album.

Now that the band is signed on the really good German label Dockyard 1, I think that the combo will be able to come back to the top. "Manipulated Mind" is a really good album of Death Metal and it's great to see that the band is still able to compose great music. Let's just hope that our guys will tour a bit more and not only in France to prove that No Return is still a great band which doesn't deserve to be forgotten. Anyway it will not happen with this new release and if you used to listen to the band don't miss this release you'll have some great suprises. Amateurs of technical Death Metal, "Manipulated Mind" is for you!