The group currently consists of lead vocalist/keytarist Christopher Bowes, bassist Gareth Murdock, drummer Peter Alcorn, keyboardist/harsh vocalist Elliot Vernon and guitarist Máté "Bobo" Bodor.

The band was founded in 2004 in Perth, Scotland as Battleheart, a studio project by Christopher Bowes and Gavin Harper.

[5] The band began to perform live in 2006, with a lineup consisting of Bowes (vocals and keytar), Harper (guitars), Dani Evans (bass) and Doug Swierczek (drums).

[2][12][13] To fill the guitarist position, Dani Evans switched instruments from bass to guitar, and Gareth Murdock of Waylander joined as the replacement bassist.

[18] In March 2010, Ian Wilson left the band and was replaced with a new drummer named Peter Alcorn.

[26][27] In October 2011, Elliot Vernon joined the band as keyboard player and also performed screamed / death metal vocals.

[28][29] The band released their fourth record entitled "Sunset on the Golden Age" on 1 August 2014,[3][30][31] reaching the #1 position in the UK Rock Chart.

[3][34] In October 2016, Christopher Bowes announced during a concert on the Super Smashed Turbo Tour that the band planned to begin recording a fifth studio album in January 2017.

[49] In August 2021, a Twitter account named "GloryhammerC" posted screenshots of what appeared to be an internal chat from 2017 between the members of the band Gloryhammer, of whom vocalist Chris Bowes was a keyboardist and founding member, that showed misogynist and racist humour along with several racial slurs.

[51] On 5 September 2021, Bowes and the rest of the band released statements, admitting the leaked chat was true and apologizing for the remarks.

[59] In June 2022, the band was criticised by several sources [60][61] for playing a gig in Tel Aviv due to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On 17 September 2023, the band announced an upcoming EP titled "Voyage of the Dead Marauder", set to be released in 2024.

[64][65] On 14 February 2024, the band released a new song, "Voyage of the Dead Marauder", the lead single from the EP.

[67] On 9 December 2024, Alestorm announced through social media the upcoming eighth studio album titled The Thunderfist Chronicles which will be released in summer 2025.

[70] Album recordings feature heavy use of real trumpets, trombones, accordions synths, fiddle and tin whistle, violins, vibraslaps, brass, keytars, and singalong choruses to convey a pirate sea shanty feel.

[70] The band's later albums incorporate screaming and death growls performed by keyboard player Elliot Vernon, as well from guest vocalists such as Ken Sorceron[81] and Mathias Lillmåns.