Grindmother

Grindmother was a Canadian grindcore band centered around its eponymous vocalist and her son, guitarist and producer Rayny Forster. The band became internationally known after viral videos of the elderly vocalist performing harsh grindcore vocals circulated online in 2015. They released their first and only album "Age of Destruction" on April 28th, 2016 and toured in support of the album up until early 2018. The band would perform their first 'farewell' show on December 5th, 2025 following Grindmother's diagnosis with dementia. The show was held at (a sold out) Club Soda in Montreal, and featured guest vocalists Chelsea Marrow (Visitant), Liz Selfish (Brat), and Alissa White-Gluz (Blue Medusa, ex-Arch Enemy).

The "iconic grindcore matriarch" was born and performs under the stage name Grindmother, the persona associated with the project. Her real name is not publicly known.

The band’s name combines the word “grandmother” with grindcore, an extreme metal genre characterized by fast tempos and aggressive vocals.

While grindcore is a niche subgenre, Grindmother's popularity is significant within that community and extends to broader internet culture due to a wide array of media coverage ranging from underground to mainstream.

Media coverage frequently emphasized the contrast between her age and the intensity of the music. Alternative Press noted that she might be “one of the coolest 67-year-olds you’ll ever come across.”

OC Weekly described the performances more bluntly:

Despite early novelty framing, critics quickly noted the musical quality of the project. Metal Injection wrote:

Origins

Grindmother (right) and her son, guitarist Rayny Forster (left) at the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario in 2017.

The project began in Windsor, Ontario when guitarist Rayny Forster invited his mother to try recording vocals for a grindcore song.

The result surprised both of them. In later interviews, Grindmother recalled:

Outside of music, Grindmother had worked as a social worker. Media profiles often highlighted the contrast between the brutality of the music and her everyday life, noting her interests in organic gardening and meditation.

Breakthrough and viral success (2015)

The band first gained international attention in 2015 with the release of the video for their debut single “Any Cost.”

The song’s lyrics criticized political leadership and were directed toward Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper.

The video spread rapidly online. One publication wrote that the clip had been “exploding over the internet.”

One particularly notable moment came when Ozzy Osbourne shared the video on social media. The post stood out because it was reportedly the only tweet on his timeline unrelated to his own music or Black Sabbath.

Album Reception

Critics broadly agreed that the album is a legitimate and effective grindcore release rather than a novelty. Popshifter stated “this is a grindcore album and it is deadly serious and amazing,” adding it “would still deserve the attention it’s getting” regardless of context. KaaosZine described it as “a tight grindcore from start to finish” with “dark and dystopian” lyrics, while Metal Impact also emphasized the album’s strength as a cohesive and serious grindcore work.

Reviewers also highlighted the album’s musicianship and production. Metal Impact praised it as “a damn good, powerful album, with ten solid tracks,” noting “instantly memorable” riffs, “a production worthy of the genre’s finest releases,” and adding that “Rayny Forster is certainly a seasoned composer of extreme metal.” Across publications, critics consistently emphasized both the intensity of the vocals and the band’s distinctive lyrical perspective as key elements that set Age of Destruction apart within grindcore.

Touring

The band began performing live in 2017, playing 60 tour dates across North America and Japan.

They toured with bands including ACxDC, Cloud Rat, Escuela Grind , Seeker, Cognitive, Worm , Alterbeast, Aethere, Inferi, The Kennedy Veil , Cattle Decapitation, Aborted, Frozen Soul, Tribal Gaze , and have played one-off shows with Captured! By Robots, Biz Markie, Sherwood and Pinch, and Submachine.

Grindmother also performed at So What?! Music Festival 2017 alongside heavyweights such as Every Time I Die, Turnstile, Power Trip, Jesus Piece, After The Burial, Chon, Spite, Fit For An Autopsy and more.

During this period Rayny Forster received equipment endorsements from Jericho Guitars, Orange Amps, and Ernie Ball.

Tour dates

Date City Venue Aug 13 2016 Essen, Germany Das Supertalent Jan 26 2017 Pittsburgh, PA Cattivo Jan 27 2017 Brooklyn, NY Silent Barn Jan 28 2017 Syracuse, NY The Warehouse Jan 29 2017 Boston, MA Hardcore Stadium Feb 8 2017 Tokyo, Japan Sound Vision Museum Feb 24 2017 Trenton, NJ Championship Bar Feb 25 2017 Washington, DC The Pinch Feb 26 2017 Amityville, NY Revolution Feb 28 2017 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place Mar 1 2017 Toronto, ON Hard Luck Mar 2 2017 Montreal, QC Foufounes Électriques Mar 3 2017 Ottawa, ON House of Targ Mar 4 2017 Pittsburgh, PA The Smiling Moose Mar 5 2017 Ypsilanti, MI Crossroads Mar 6 2017 Chicago, IL Reggies Mar 23 2017 Valparaiso, IN Big Shots Mar 24 2017 St. Louis, MO Fubar Mar 25 2017 Oklahoma City, OK Thunder Alley Mar 26 2017 Dallas, TX So What?! Festival Mar 28 2017 El Paso, TX Rockhouse Bar Mar 29 2017 Mesa, AZ Club Red Mar 30 2017 San Diego, CA Brick By Brick Mar 31 2017 Pomona, CA PBW Apr 1 2017 Las Vegas, NV Eagle Aerie Hall Apr 4 2017 Salt Lake City, UT Metro Music Hall Apr 5 2017 Thornton, CO Trailside Saloon Apr 6 2017 Springfield, MO Lindberg's Apr 8 2017 Murfreesboro, TN Autograph Studio Apr 9 2017 Cincinnati, OH Mad Frog Feb 10 2018 Bradley, IL Looney Bin Feb 11 2018 Peoria, IL Rail II Feb 12 2018 Kansas City, MO Riot Room Feb 13 2018 Omaha, NE Lookout Lounge Feb 14 2018 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep Feb 17 2018 Petaluma, CA Phoenix Theater Feb 18 2018 Santa Ana, CA Malones Feb 19 2018 Las Vegas, NV The Church Feb 20 2018 Mesa, AZ The Underground Feb 21 2018 El Paso, TX Rock House Kitchen Feb 22 2018 Austin, TX Dirty Dog Bar Feb 23 2018 Corpus Christi, TX Boozerz Rock Bar Feb 24 2018 Big Spring, TX Desert Flower Art Bar Feb 25 2018 Fort Worth, TX Tomcats West Feb 27 2018 Memphis, TN Hi Tone Cafe Feb 28 2018 Nashville, TN The East Room Mar 1 2018 St. Louis, MO Fubar Lounge Mar 2 2018 Barrington, IL Penny Road Pub Mar 3 2018 Madison, WI The Annex Mar 4 2018 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews Mar 6 2018 Denver, CO Roxy Theater Mar 8 2018 Salt Lake City, UT The Loading Dock Mar 9 2018 Boise, ID The Shredder Mar 10 2018 Spokane, WA The Pin Mar 11 2018 Seattle, WA Studio Seven Mar 13 2018 Portland, OR Analog Theater Mar 14 2018 Grants Pass, OR The Sound Lounge Mar 15 2018 Santa Cruz, CA Catalyst Mar 16 2018 Sacramento, CA Holy Diver Dec 5 2025 Montreal, QC Club Soda Dec 6 2025 Toronto, ON The Concert Hall

Media coverage

The band received extensive international media coverage following the viral success of their early videos.

Television programs aired clips of their viral videos including The Maury Show, Ridiculousness, Right This Minute , Crazy Talk, Kennedy, Global News (Canada), CNN News (Indonesia), and interview pieces were done by CTV News (Canada) , The Morning Show (Australia), and the Laugh Out Loud Series (UK).

Radio interviews were conducted by CBC , Metal Injection , Leslie Feist , as well as additional coverage by The Strombo Show, Nardwuar The Human Serviette, and Alan Cross.

Audio clips taken from some of the radio coverage can be heard on the Grindmother song "Media Spin".

The band has also been featured in print interviews by Exclaim , Huffington Post , OC Weekly , Vice , Vice Japan , Mass Movement , Toronto Star and Windsor Star .

Over 150 additional articles have been published by notable publications including New York Post , Daily Mail, Metro , Refinery29 , Ultimate Guitar , Metal Hammer , Nerdist , Consequence , Loudwire , and Metal Injection .

Dementia diagnosis and farewell shows (2025)

In July 2025 the band announced that Grindmother had been diagnosed with advanced dementia and would perform two final concerts.

Broken Neck Radio reported:

The Toronto Star described the situation starkly:

Final performances

Grindmother (right) and Alissa White-Gluz (left) at Club Soda in Montreal on Dec 5, 2025. Photo by Jesse Di Meo.

The band performed its final concerts in Montreal and Toronto in December 2025 as part of the “No Fear For Tomorrow Tour,” opening for Cattle Decapitation, Aborted, Frozen Soul, and Tribal Gaze.

Both shows were sold out, with approximately:

1,400 attendees in Montreal 1,200 attendees in Toronto.

The band consisted of guest musicians Topon Das and Mathieu Vilandré of Fuck the Facts, along with Rayny Forster on bass. Alissa White-Gluz (Blue Medusa, formerly of Arch Enemy)

One review summarized the moment as Grindmother ending her touring career “loud, chaotic, and surrounded by friends.”

Legacy and future

Despite the end of live performances, work on previously unfinished Grindmother recordings continues. Rayny Forster has stated that additional material recorded during the band’s active years is currently being prepared for future release.

Discography

Studio albums Age of Destruction (2016)

Singles Any Cost (2015) Slave New World (Sepultura Cover, 2016) Forest (System of a Down cover, 2021)