Thorr's Hammer
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1994 in Ballard, Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Founder | Greg Anderson, Stephen O'Malley |
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Fate | Disbanded; reunited for performances in 2009 and 2010 |
| Headquarters | Seattle , United States and Norway |
| Products | Death-doom music, demo, EPs, live albums |
Thorr's Hammer was a death-doom band with roots in both the United States and Norway.
History
The group originated in Ballard, Seattle, Washington, founded by Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley during the winter months spanning 1994 to 1995. Shortly after its inception, vocalist and lyricist Runhild Gammelsæter, a 17-year-old Norwegian exchange student at the time, joined the lineup. The ensemble solidified its roster when Jamie Sykes and James Hale became members. Despite a brief existence of only six weeks, Thorr's Hammer performed two live shows and produced a demo along with an EP titled Dommedagsnatt. In 1997, their track "Troll" from the EP was featured on The Awakening - Females in Extreme Music, a compilation released by Dwell Records.
Following Gammelsæter’s return to Oslo, Norway, the band dissolved. From this split, the project Burning Witch was formed. Meanwhile, Gammelsæter partnered with James Plotkin of Khanate to create Khlyst, releasing the studio album Chaos Is My Name in 2006 and a live record titled Chaos Live in 2008.
Thorr's Hammer reunited for performances at the Supersonic Festival held in Birmingham, England in 2009, and again appeared at The Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands in 2010. In an interview with Rock-A-Rolla magazine, Gammelsæter suggested that the band could potentially produce new material moving forward.
Line-up
- Runhild Gammelsæter (also known as Ozma) – vocals and lyric writing
- Greg Anderson – guitar (specializing in "drones and sunn sounds")
- Stephen O'Malley – guitar (noted for "crust and influences from Earth")
- James Hale – bass guitar ("subsonic attack") (replaced by Guy Pinhas during 2009 and 2010 reunion performances)
- Jamie Sykes – drums ("battledrums")
Discography
- Sannhet i Blodet (demo released in 1995)
- Dommedagsnatt (initially issued on cassette in 1996; CD release followed in 1998; reissued twice in 2004 including a picture disc edition)
- Only Death Is Real – Live by Command of Tom G. Warrior (LP released in 2019, recorded live at Roadburn Festival 2010)
- Awakening – Females in Extreme Music (compilation CD from 1997)
External links
- Thorr's Hammer page at Southern Lord Records
- Thorr's Hammer entry on Encyclopaedia Metallum
- Articles with short description
- American death metal musical groups
- Norwegian death metal musical groups
- Norwegian doom metal musical groups
- Heavy metal musical groups from Washington (state)
- Musical groups established in 1994
- 1994 establishments in Washington (state)
- Musical groups disestablished in 1995
- 1995 disestablishments in Washington (state)