The name Gotham City is taken from the world of Marvel Comics. It's the town where the superhero Batman lived. On the map Gotham City is exactly where New York is
supposed to be so Gotham City is more or less another name for the Big Apple. The story behind the band Gotham City started in a town called Umeå in the north of Sweden. In 1980 (or 1981?) Guitarist Mårten Edlund and drummer Jonas Östman joined forces and soon they recruited vocalist Ola Ohlsson, bassist Björn-Erik Melander and perhaps even guitarist Thomas Pehrsson.

In 1981 they recorded their first known material, a 9 track demo which included some songs that ended up on their forthcoming studio releases. Songs like Black Writs, 1995, Borderline and Born to Rock Hard was later re-recorded and released on vinyl. They recorded a Judas Priest-cover for that demo, The Green Manalishi.

A year later Gotham City got the opportunity to release a 2 track 7" single on Brute Force which included the songs Gotham City and Killer Angels. The single sold out pretty fast and today that single is a very sought after item and it goes often over 100$ on eBay. The band payed the whole recordings by them selves and they where promised a tour by the distribution company but they went bankrupt so the tour was canceled. Hard Rock was very big at the time being and Gotham City filled the small arenas where they played but they never played far away from their hometown Umeå.

In 1983 Gotham City released a 6 track MLP on Brute Force titled Black Writs. It was filled with wonderful music and the occult cover art only increased the cult status that MLP has today. But the vocals scared many listeners away as Ola has ha very down to earth kind of voice (I personally think that the vocals suits the music just fine) but the musicianship was as always flawless. And in 1983 it set the standard for Swedish heavy metal. A scene which had many good and obscure bands at the time. I would estimate it's value to about 40-70$ today depending on where you find it.

Things where going pretty well for but the Gotham City camp weren't satisfied. They wanted to gain even more success by replacing the weak link, the vocalist Ola Ohlsson. His way of "talk-singing" with a strong Swedish accent weren't what the band wanted so they contacted Anders Zackrisson a man with far superior vocal skills, but he hadn't the attitude and the straightforwardness that Ola possesses. The general response was in the end good even if a few fans missed Ola.

Later in 1983 Gotham City records a new demo with Zackrisson behind the microphone. 9 songs which included Going Insane, See How it Flies, The Beast will Burn, Borderline and a version of Gotham City which sound a bit different with Zackrisson on vocals.

In 1984 Gotham City gave their demo to the Fingerprint label which enjoyed ever moment of it. So Gotham City was offered to record a full length LP on the label. The LP was
named The Unknown and quality wise it could compete with any band on this planet, but not much money or effort was put into PR, so the major success never came. The price on The Unknown is generally higher today than it was just years ago. I estimate it's value to 40$

In 1985 Gotham City appeared on Swedish radio (Not sure if it was nationwide) The band said that they've got more recognition outside the Swedish borders. Many letters from foreign countries reached the band but in Sweden the interest weren't much to talk about. The friction in the band started to grow, mostly because the lack of interest in the band. Especially when bands like Europe and 220 Volt gained a huge success which was unfair to talented acts like Gotham City.

Jonas Östman and Björn-Erik Melander wanted to move to Stockholm to play their music for a bigger audience and so they did. Anders Zackrisson and Mårten Edlund stayed in Umeå and they recruited two new members. The replacements where a drummer named Lars-Åke Edström and Torbjörn Moen. The new lineup recorded 2 songs for a 1986 demo. The songs where called Hang on and Lost in Time.

Most likely the saga ended in 1987. Gotham City kept on touring a while at least to 1987 before vanishing into obscurity. Where they have dwelt until recently when the interest in the band has grown and the prices for their vinyls has reached new heights. But the reunion is far away when most members look back to the Gotham City days with a total lack of interest.

Source : http://www.ruthlessmetal.nl/gothamcity/history.htm