Punk-metal sensation Grindmother gears up for a comeback with lots to scream about | CBC News

Back in 2015, Rayny Forster’s mom was goofing around with her son’s grindcore band in Windsor, Ont.

Grindcore combines hardcore punk and aggressive guitar riffs, with a lead vocalist screaming mostly indecipherable lyrics.

Rayny’s mom grabbed the mic, screamed out some political lyrics and got a taste for the genre.

Forster filmed that session and the resulting video went viral. It began a whirlwind two years of interviews, recording and touring for the now 74-year-old grandmother, who has been private about her real name and uses Grindmother onstage.

Now, Grindmother wants to make a comeback.

There are a lot of things to scream about right now. The way the planet is going … There are lot of things that aren’t fair.”– Grindmother

It’s been five years since Grindmother’s last performance.

Grindmother and her 44-year-old son’s band released one 10-song album, Age of Destruction, in 2016.

“I’ve missed it during the time we took the break,” said the former social worker, who celebrates her 75th birthday next month.

Between 2016 and 2018, she toured with her son around Canada and the U.S., with stops in Japan and Germany.

WATCH: Grindmother records vocals at home studio:

74-year-old grandmother recording new material with son’s grindcore band

Grindmother began performing with her son Rayny Forster in 2016. The grindcore ban toured all over the United States and Japan between 2016 and 2018. They are currently working on a new album and hope to go back on tour in the months to come.

Lyrics speak to social injustices

“One of the things that inspires me is that there are a lot of things to scream about right now,” said Grindmother.

She’s been visiting her son in London, Ont., this month, where he now works for a cannabis company. 

“The way the planet is going, and bombs and fighting, and not enough food for people — there are lots of things that aren’t fair.”

Grindmother thinks about all that when she’s screaming. One song, Mother Nature, starts with the lyrics, “Mother Nature deserves our respect. Instead, she is under attack.”

“We’re passionate about things being fair and getting a message out there,” said Grindmother, who now lives on Manitoulin Island.

I’m really proud of her that she’s got the courage to go out and do this.– Rayny Forster, Grindmother’s son

“I like being up there with her,” said Forster. “I’m really proud of her that she’s got the courage to go out and do this, and not only just make a few songs, but touring and everything.

“It’s a whole lifestyle pretty much.”

Forster admitted, though, that the tour van lifestyle is a little tricky with your mom. “It’s all a part of the fun,” he laughed.

Tough on the vocal chords

Grindcore is all about “making extreme noises,” said Forster. “A lot of times it’s really like this guttural kind of growling.” 

That can be tough on a person’s voice, said Grindmother.

“I have to be really careful, and it’s a matter of pushing the air through my throat so it’s not tearing it through,” she said.

“When I learned to do that, I kept away from having a sore throat all the time.”

The mom and son duo hope to release a song sometime in the next month or two, and if all goes to plan, soon after, they’ll be back on the road touring.