CORPORATE CONTROL (Paul Sabu) – Whatever It Takes (2021)
Released by Perris Records, “Whatever It Takes” is the debut album from CORPORATE CONTROL, an American-German collaboration between multi-instrumentalist Marcus Boeltz and AOR heavyweight Paul Sabu, joined by bassist Barry Sparks (Yngwie Malmsteen, Scorpions, Dokken).
Formed in 2019 the idea behind ”Whatever It Takes” was to produce a fresh and modern sounding classic melodic hard rock / AOR album that also features instruments untypical for the genre such as Sitar, Madolin and Cello.
Co-produced by Boeltz & Sabu who also handles all vocals, there’s unmistakable ’80s elements all over, bringing to mind SILENT RAGE, KANE ROBERTS, and of course, PAUL SABU solo. But as said, Boeltz adds a special touch on the arrangements and some instrumentation.
Yet, Corporate Control pays great respect and tribute to the classic trailblazing bands of the genre. Their songs aim to melody that till would work well as stripped down acoustic versions.
Despite of being a modern age project with musicians recording in different places / countries, Corporate Control does not sound cold at all. No programming here, there’s real drums and no less than 20 mics have been used to record Marcus’ drum set.
The use of external studios, rare vintage gear and the production time span of 1.5 years make ”Whatever It Takes” a very slick and expensive production.
The good thing here is the variety on offer. While all songs revolve around classic melodic hard rock, all deliver something different like elaborated intros, mid-sections or exotic instrumentation providing cool, original atmospheres.
“Radio“ is an absolute highlight giving you shivers all over, and so is “Leaving It Behind“ or the modern AOR of “Can’t Kill A Dead Man”, also with interesting twists to escape common places.
”Whatever It Takes” is a refreshing melodic-hard album from a band that wishes to create something a bit different. Marcus Boeltz is a strong songwriter and a skilled player, Sabu’s voice has aged with some kind of gravelly to it but works very well with these melodies, and production is solid.
Highly Recommended
01 – No More
02 – Leaving It Behind
03 – Whatever It Takes
04 – Waiting for the Roar
05 – Not in Our Hands
06 – Can’t Kill a Dead Man
07 – Vertical Horizon
08 – Radio
09 – What About Us
Paul Sabu – vocals, guitar
Barry Sparks – bass, pedals, guitar
Marcus Boeltz – guitar, drums, keyboards, mandolin, sitar, percussion
BUY IT
www.amazon.co.uk/Whatever-Takes-Corporate-Control/dp/B08SGZPB77
