By Martin Popoff

Cliff Evans, guitarist for the legendary TANK as well as KILLERS, has started a new label called Soundhouse Records (www.myspace.com/soundhousemetal). The first two releases are albums by… Tank and Killers!

“I started to put together ideas last year,” says the NWOBHM warrior. “Because it’s so much more difficult to get a deal these days, to get an advance out of any kind of label. The labels are not putting any money into new records. So I thought well, it seems pointless putting all that effort behind making an album, trying to get an advance and it’s not there. So I said, I’ll do it myself. I’ve been around long enough now so I know how it works. So I thought I would put a little label together to specialize in that British metal thing. I’ve wanted to put out Murder One again (Killers), because that album has become very hard to find over the years. And I was been pretty proud of that album; it’s a pretty good album. So I kind of tracked it down. It was on BMG, but then they sold it out to a production company who sold it to someone else. So I’ve been trying to track it down for quite awhile and I finally got it. I had to pay a little advance for that, but I got it back. But that was kind of the main reason I put the label together, to put that album out. And then I have a Tank album as well, Live And Rare. So there are two good albums to put out at the same time, to kind of launch the label. That was the plan there. It’s been a lot of work this year, because we remastered everything and did all new artwork.”

Do you have specific plans for your third release?

“For the third one I’m going to do the other Killers album, which was Menace To Society; that will be next year, and I’m kind of looking around for stuff. I would like to work with some other bands, so I’m see what’s out there, what’s available, including new bands, some fresh blood. I’m in London. I’d like to find some other bands to work with, like I say, even younger bands… try to get some new stuff out there. There’s not a lot going on in London right now; there aren’t a lot of clubs. I have a fair bit of experience over the years, so I’d like to put something back into it. I want to get excited about something again; it would be nice to get involved with some new music which would be kind of cool. I’m open to any ideas.”

With Tank on shaky ground as a touring and recording entity, due to the ongoing ill health of its intrepid leader Algy Ward, Soundhouse will at least keep the ball rolling (and the hopes of fans alive) with this rare set. “Well, the rare stuff is… there are nine tracks from the 1981 tour, which is supporting MOTORHEAD on the Ace Of Spades tour. And then there are four studio demos, from that year as well, from the Filth Hounds Of Hades album, and then there are two tracks from the 1984 METALLICA Ride The Lightning tour, and then there are another two tracks from 1999 - that’s live in Japan. That was the 20th anniversary of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal tour.”

Cliff confirms that, “Algy, he’s been quite ill lately. He’s got quite a few problems. He gets down and has depression. I’ve had requests for dozens of interviews and he doesn’t do anything right now. Which is a real shame. It kind of adds to the mystique of him a little bit. Our popularity seems to have gone up quite a bit, by doing nothing (laughs). But there is also a box set coming out as well. There’s a Polish label called Metal Mind, and the guy who runs it is a big fan of Tank, and he’s putting together a box set of eight albums in it and possibly a DVD as well - 32 page booklet, every album, all the bonus tracks, all the singles, everything. So he’s putting that together now. He’s got loads of rare photos, so I think sort of around Christmas time he’s doing that. So that just, again, adds to the popularity. Because those Tank albums are very hard to find on CD. They’re very difficult to get a hold of. And the fans are very loyal as well. So when they tend to put anything out there they grab hold of them.”

Cliff adds a note about the bonus situation on the Killers set. “Oh yes, there are two acoustic tracks on there. There’s an acoustic version of ‘Wrathchild’, which kind of works. It sounds different, honestly, but it’s a straight acoustic version. And there’s an acoustic version of ‘Dream Keeper’, which works really well. I’ve always liked that song. And then there is a demo version of a track called ‘Three Words’, which was on the next album, Menace To Society.”

We wish both Algy and Cliff and his new venture well (Cliff also is in the planning stages for a new Killers album - without Paul Di’Anno!). As noted, please check out Soundhouse Records at their Myspace page - the first two releases will hit the streets in October.