In a way Gallhammer began in 2002 with band leader Vivian Slaughter working on the group. However, their official debut did not come until February 2003. Drummer Risa Reaper and guitarist Mika Penetrator joined the band in 2003, but the two had only worked as vocalists before, just as Vivian had, and therefore none of the members knew how to play their instruments--nor did they have a clear black metal background. They had all previously been focused on other genres, such as grindcore, noise and avant-garde.
Gallhammer’s first demo tape was released in March 2003, and was given out for free at their first ever gig at Koiwa Death Fest Vol.2. In the beginning they played covers from Hellhammer and Amebix, due to their original devotion to those bands.
Their debut album, Gloomy Lights, was released on November 11, 2004 via the Japanese label Hello From The Gutter. The first press was sold out, but later a second press was released in Finland and in Mexico.
The success of this release took the band to Europe, where Peaceville, a British label, became interested in their music. In 2006, Gallhammer signed a recording contract with Peaceville for their next album, but before recording it, they released a collection of reworked demos called The Dawn of..., which also included a lot of video material from the bygone years. This appetizer came out in January 2007, and their next album Ill Innocence followed that September. Around the same time, Gallhammer embarked on a European tour to support it, which included dates in the UK, The Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and Finland, and on which they also met the doom band Church of Misery for two gigs.
The next year saw Gallhammer continue to make waves in Europe, with a UK tour and an appearance at Norway’s Inferno Festival. It also brought the band’s first DVD, Ruin of a Church.
In 2010, Sehnsucht, the experimental music project that Vivian worked on alongside her husband, ex-Mayhem vocalist Maniac, released its first album, Wüste. Unfortunately, that year also saw guitarist Mika leave Gallhammer in order to devote her time to her other band. However, Vivian and Risa were determined to press on. Their first album as a duo, The End, was released in 2011.
