EMISSARY - JYM HARRIS and TIM "MOTHMAN" DAHLEN

#interview

💿 Hi, it's a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal JYM HARRIS and TIM "MOTHMAN" DAHLEN of EMISSARY... Welcome!

JH: Thanks for the interview, guys! Glad you decided to keep the site up and running!

💿 On May 27th 2022 was out your first full-length entitled THE WRETCHED MASQUERADE, positive received on our pages. What's the meaning of this title?

TD: Well, sometimes people who are in charge and that we are supposed to trust aren't quite what they seem.

Their agenda is more important than the well-being of the people they are supposed to serve.

💿 Can you show us your current line up?

TD: Lead Vocals: Jym Harris

Guitars/ Vocals: Tim "Mothman" Dahlen

Bass/ Vocals: Peter Shawn Kinney

Guitars: Charlie Francipane

Drums/ Vocals: Tony "Bones" Mullins

💿 33 years for the first full-length. Can you remember early days of EMISSARY?

TD: The early days we were just kids learning how to play and create. We were all so into Metal that we knew we had to be a part of it rather than just be consumers and fans.

💿 What are your main influences?

TD: We all have different influences. I'd say the Emissary sound is a mixture of NWOTHM, classic power metal, and Bay Area thrash.

Influences are Death Angel, Iron Maiden, Accept, Metallica, Anthrax, Metal Church and little bits of everything heavy that came out in the 70s and 80s.

💿 Can you tell us somethin'about the composition process of this new album?

TD: Well, Jym & Mothman mostly wrote everything in the early days of Emissary (not including Hypochondriac, which was an unrealized idea from way back when that we finished a little over a year ago).

I (Tim) come up with the majority of the riffs and guitar work and Jym handles the lyrics and melody lines.

Together we shape the parts and build the songs.

We all recorded our parts from different states and sent them to Doug Hill. Doug works out of 60 Psycho Hum studios in Oregon.

He's worked with bands like Mastodon, Neurosis & Helmet.

As far as mastering, we were lucky enough to have our "polish" done by Jamie King, who has worked with tons of bands, including many on Metal Blade Records.

💿 Here at Hardrockheavymeyal we are strong defender of classic format. Love for vintage or isn't there a future outside digital?

TD: All formats are something we take into consideration. The Wretched Masquerade comes on CD, Cassette, Vinyl, and of course streaming.

💿 Is there a future for a physical record stores? It's a world you know well.

JH: Ever since digital streaming came around it's been tough on brick and mortar shops, so that remains to be seen. I sure hope they make a comeback!

💿 Is there a chance to see the vinyl version of this new platter?

TD: The short answer, yes... We will be releasing two versions of "The Wretched Masquerade" on vinyl. A regular 8 song version and then a deluxe limited edition version with red vinyl that will include a bonus CD of our old demos.

💿 We love the cover of THE WRETCHED MASQUERADE. Can you tell us somethin'about?

TD: The art was created by Don Yatomi, he has worked with bands like Megadeth and Tourniquet in the past. We were lucky to have him agree to help us out. The concept was developed by Tim & Jym. We wanted our mascot to be front and center along with a vibe that we feel fits the times we are living in.

💿 Can you tell us somethin' about your next projects?

TD: We are already starting pre-production on the next album as we speak and hope to release something for a compilation later this summer or fall.

💿 Is it scheduled somethin' new for your other band SYLENT STORM?

TD: Nothing is in the works with Sylent Storm at the moment. All focus and energy is going into Emissary now.

JH: Yeah, that band is currently on hold, and I am unsure if I will ever resurrect it.

Things seem to be going well for Emissary and that is where my focus is right now.

We appreciate the opportunity to do this interview!

You can find us online at The Original Emissary or search for "The Original Emissary" on bandcamp. Cheers!