Progressive Metalcore
Band Members
Andrew Aylward - Vocals
Nicholas Mahoney - Guitar
Matthew Perry - Guitar
Cody Ploughman - Guitar
James Moss - Bass/Vocals
Kyle Pretty - Percussion
Hometown
Ask me again if I dont search the corners of the earth for metal baby!!
About
Progressive Metalcore based out of Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada1.Please introduce yourself and tell us who you sing for.
My name is Andrew Aylward and I do vocals for Ultimata.
2.What / Who made you want to sing?
Growing up I used to listen to a lot of Blink-182, Billy Talent, The Used, Avenged Sevenfold, Alexisonfire. From that, in high school I progressed to Avenged Sevenfold, Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, Atreyu, Slipknot and other metal/core/post hardcore bands. I think in my senior year of high school I heard Warborn by The Black Dahlia Murder and that’s when I seriously tried to learn how to scream.
3.Who was the first singer you saw live that gave you chills?
When I was in Quebec at 2017’s Montebello Rockfest, I saw Killswitch Engage live. It had been raining the whole day before their set, so it was just a giant mudpit in the field. When the band played In Due Time, the crowd went wild. How Jesse could go from singing, to screaming, and be so consistent vocally really inspired me to take vocals seriously. “I want to do that,” I told myself. I lost my Slipknot shirt in the mosh pit, but it was worth the tradeoff for the inspiration I gained.
4.Many people say heavy music is just screaming, How would you combat that statement?
I would say there is a lot more to it than that. There are several different techniques from fry to false chord distortions, tunnel throat vocals, yells, growls and screams. All these techniques must be performed correctly and accurately or you’ll sound like shit, or blow your voice within a few songs. Also, in my humble opinion, the metal scene contains some of the most technically proficient musicians in the world due to the nature of the music. Bands are getting more and more technical as time goes on, constantly trying to one-up who came before them, show off their chops.
5.If you growl or do harsh vocals how do you keep your voice after such violent performances?
I suck on a few lozenges, Fishermen’s Friend is my favorite brand, honey is the best flavor. Halls will do in a pinch. I usually refrain from raising my voice any more than I have to for a period of time. Drink a few beers, and I’m ready to go again.
6. Do you have a warm up routine? Tell us about it ?
My warm-up routine usually consists of singing along to a playlist of some of my favorite songs that involve clean singing. A few mainstays of mine are Last Caress, Helena and Skulls by The Misfits. Dammit, Dumpweed and Wendy Clear by Blink 182. I then progress to more hardcore stuff, but not quite screaming, like My War, Damaged, and Six Pack by Black Flag. Then I’m usually suitably warmed up to start screaming along to recordings of my own music, as well as some The Black Dahlia Murder and Lamb of God tracks. They both work especially well because their songs have a lot of transitions from high screams to low at the drop of a dime, and it’s a real workout.
7. Do you think power or performance is more important?
Honestly, I think both are equally important. A frontman has to deliver a quality performance both vocally and physically. People pay to see a band live so they can see some action, so I try to be as active as possible. Jumping around, thrashing on the ground, whatever strikes me in that moment, while I’m one with the music.
8. Who do you think gets unfair vocal praise, someone the world thinks is great but is not? / And who is great but does not get the credit?
I think Daron Malakian from System of a Down is a great backing vocalist, especially on songs like Lonely Day and Old School Hollywood. His voice can encapsulate the “insanity” of the song, I guess you could say. In response to the unfair vocal praise question, I can’t really answer that. I believe a vocalist can be great without being technically proficient (even though it certainly helps!)
9.Name your top 5 vocalist
Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage)
Trevor Strnad (The Black Dahlia Murder)
Phil Bozeman (Whitechapel)
Chad Gray (Mudvaynes/Hellyeah)
Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan)
10.Micheal Buble or Jim Gillette? Just testing your skills here.
Gillete, though most glam metal isn’t quite my thing!
11.Who do you love to listen to that would surprise people?
I listen to a lot of hip-hop music, mostly the newer stuff. I dig groups/artists like $uicideboy$, Ghostemane, Denzel Curry. I also listen to a couple of ska bands, like The Streetlight Manifesto and Goldfinger.
12.If you could remove the autotune from any singer who would it be?
Jeremy DePoyster’s autotuned vocals on the earlier The Devil Wears Prada stuff. When it was released, autotuned cleans and gnarly screams were the trend, but it didn’t really age well in my opinion, even though the tracks still slap.
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