Enlisting the help of other musicians, among them Mike Scalzi of Slough Feg, they recorded a full album's worth of material in their rehearsal space.
Unholy Cadaver's output laid the groundwork for what would become Hammers of Misfortune's signature style, but it also contained elements of death metal (mainly in John Cobbett's vocals) that would be phased out in future recordings.
Recruiting Scalzi and Janis Tanaka (formerly of Fireball Ministry and L7), the band released its 2001 concept album The Bastard on Tumult Records.
The Bastard received many positive reviews in the metal community, including several "best of 2001" awards from magazines such as Terrorizer and Lamentations Of The Flame Princess.
[7] In October 2011, the band produced their fifth studio album, 17th Street,[8] which was well-received by critics, with positive reviews from Pitchfork,[9] AllMusic,[10] The Quietus,[11] and PopMatters.