Interview With Emissary

Greetings from Metalheads Forever Magazine, I’m Keith Clement, how are you today?

TIM DAHLEN: Doing awesome, thanks for asking. This is Tim “Mothman” Dahlen: guitar player and co-founding member of Emissary and I’m excited to be a part of Metalheads Forever Magazine!

Earlier this year, you released your album “The Wretched Masquerade”. Can you tell me a bit about the songwriting and production behind the album?

TD: Yeah, definitely. Jym Harris and I started writing these songs in 1993. We wrote 7 of them completely between 1993-95 and had the idea and loose version of Hypochondriac in ‘95 but never finished it until 2021. As far as our writing style, usually Jymbo has some lyric and melody ideas and puts them to my riffs. Then we both arrange the song so it makes the most sense and packs the most punch. As far as the production, we were lucky enough to have Doug Hill offer his services so we couldn’t say no. He worked on Helmet’s last album and he’s worked with Mastodon to name a couple of his credits. I live in Denver, CO and both Jymbo and bass player Peter Shawn Kinney live in Southern Oregon where Doug Hill also lives and runs his studio which is called 60 Psycho Hum. I recorded all the guitars in Denver and sent them to Doug. Jymbo and Pete worked from Oregon. Before Tony Mullins joined, our drummer was Eric Hoover. He recorded in Alaska and our other guitar player Charlie Francipane worked from Wyoming. We then were lucky enough to have Jamie King do the mastering. He’s pretty well-known for his work with a lot of Metal Blade bands.

Was there any concept behind the album?

TD: Jymbo and I worked on concept. As most of the songs have to do with corruption and other political and social issues, we wanted it to be a perfect listening experience. The art worked was conceived by Jymbo and myself during long, late night phone calls. It just had to fit visually with the music. Of course we love the idea of having a mascot since we are huge Iron Maiden, Dio, and Megadeth fans. Don Yatomi did an excellent job with the cover.

Eight mind-blowing metal awesomeness with brilliant musicianship and mind-blowing vocals, how do you feel about this album?

TD: We couldn’t be prouder. It is EXACTLY how we had dreamt it could be back in the 90s. Since we were given a second chance, we knew it had to be perfect. We are grateful for the opportunity and took it very seriously. As far as the fan and media reaction, we had no idea it would be praised as much as it has been.

With a history that goes way back to 1989, and this being your first Full-length album, how do you feel about this precious album being out for the fans?

TD: This is the album we wanted everyone to hear back in the 90s but unfortunately didn’t get the chance. Now that it’s out we are so excited for everyone to hear it and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I don’t think it would have been as impactful if we had released it back then. The timing is perfect.

You were featured on Rusted Metal, which paved way for the reunion, would you like to tell me the happenings around this time?

TD: Well, James Beach was one of the guys putting it together and he contacted Jymbo to ask if we had ever played Portland, Oregon in the early/mid-90s and asked if we had proof. We produced the proof, and the rest is history! Thank goodness because it sparked the flame that allowed us to be back with a new album and all that comes with it.

How as a band do you look into the future?

TD: We are nothing but excited to get back in the studio and start working on our next release. We want to take this as far as possible. Also, we love touring and playing live so we can’t wait to get back on the road.

What would be some of the upcoming plans for Emissary?

TD: We are in preproduction right now for the next release and are about to start recording. As far as playing shows, we have a couple of dates that we can announce soon along with a possible short tour run in late spring.

How’s the touring for the end of 2022/2023?

TD: As I mentioned, we have some irons in the fire for some touring and hope to nail down some festival dates for the summer. We played some amazing shows in the States this past Spring and Summer. We played Denver, Colorado, Buffalo, Wyoming, Chicago, Illinois, Portland, Oregon and our hometown of Medford, Oregon, and got to open for Stephen Pearcy of Ratt, Riot V, Nasty Savage, Solicitor, and a bunch of other amazing metal bands. We look forward to doing it all over again in 2023.

Would you like to share some of the great moments of your career with Emissary?

TD: Well, for me, back in the 90s opening for Dokken was a dream come true. In the Summer of 2021 we played our first show in 25+ years and it was opening for Tesla in front of a huge crown in our hometown. Not sure you can beat that. Also, all the times I’ve been able to record with Emissary has been special. The tour that took us to the Chicago for Legions metal festival was amazing because we had a huge tour bus and got to really bond and bandmates and brothers. The best part is doing all of this again with some of the same guys. It took 25+ years but we are finally living our rock n roll dreams and we are doing it together!

What would be the message for the fans?

TD: I’d say that we can’t be more grateful and can’t thank them enough for the support. Both the new and old Emissary fans are the best. Also, we aren’t stopping and we promise to deliver another amazing release soon. Lastly, we hope to see you all on the road!