# 2023 in Scandinavian music

The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Scandinavian music in 2023.

## Events

* 13 January – Rolling Stone lists Björk as the 64th-greatest singer and the 81st-greatest songwriter of all time.
* 13 January – The world premiere of the Sinfonia concertante of Esa-Pekka Salonen takes place at the NOSPR Concert Hall in Katowice, Poland, inaugurating the hall's new organ, with Iveta Apkalna as the soloist and the NOSPR conducted by the composer.
* 11 February – Faroese singer Reiley wins the 53rd Dansk Melodi Grand Prix at Arena Næstved and becomes Denmark's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest
* 25 February – Käärijä wins the 12th edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu to become Finland's entry for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, with the song Cha Cha Cha.
* 4 March – In the final of Iceland's Söngvakeppnin, Diljá is selected to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest.
* 12 March – Tax evasion charges against members of Icelandic band Sigur Rós are finally dismissed.
* 13 May – Sweden's Loreen becomes the first woman to win the Eurovision Song Contest twice, having previously won in 2012. Finland's Käärijä finishes in second place.
* 9 June – It is confirmed that Petr Popelka will end his contract as chief conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra after the 2022–2023 season.
* 22 September – Sweden's NorrlandsOperan confirms Eduardo Strausser as its next principal conductor and music director, effective from autumn 2024 for three seasons.
* 16 October – The Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra confirms Maxime Pascal as its next chief conductor, beginning in August 2024.
* October/November – Danish rock band Volbeat continue working on their ninth studio album, while lead vocalist Michael Poulsen undergoes throat surgery, which prevents the band from performing live shows in 2024.

## Albums released
### January

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 13 | Omen X | Turmion Kätilöt | Nuclear Blast Records | |
| 13 | Neon Noir | VV | Heartagram Records/UMG/Spinefarm | |
| 20 | 4 (The Pink Album) | Lukas Graham | Warner Records | |
| 20 | Sky Void of Stars | Katatonia | Napalm Records | |
| 20 | Heroes of the Great War | Sabaton | | Second in the “Echoes Of The Great War” EP trilogy |
| 20 | At the Heart of Wintervale | Twilight Force | Nuclear Blast | |
| 27 | The Loss of All Hope | Ablaze My Sorrow | Black Lion Records | EP |
| 27 | As in Gardens, So in Tombs | ...And Oceans | Season of Mist | |
| 27 | Compositions | Deathprod | Smalltown Supersound | |

### February

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 10 | Ad Astra | Aphyxion | Circular Wave | |
| 10 | Foregone | In Flames | Nuclear Blast | First album featuring US guitarist Chris Broderick |
| 10 | Out of the Dark | Wig Wam | Frontiers Music | |
| 17 | Dance Devil Dance | Avatar | Thirty Tigers | |
| 17 | Heads Will Roll | Oceanhoarse | | |
| 24 | Alttarimme on Luista Tehty | Azaghal | Immortal Frost Productions | |
| 24 | Anno 1696 | Insomnium | Century Media | Based on a short story by vocalist Niilo Sevänen |
| 24 | Double Decade | Märvel | The Sign Records | Compilation album |
| 24 | Storm the Void/Starving Grave | Necrovation | Blood Harvest | EP |
| 24 | Awake/Asleep | Sløtface | | EP |

### March

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 3 | Heimdal | Enslaved | Nuclear Blast | |
| 10 | Anesidora | Isole | Cyclone Empire | |
| 10 | Fandens Kall | Tulus | Soulseller Records | |
| 17 | Ghost Town | Narnia | | |
| 17 | Janne Schaffer & Herr Allansson Band - Live! | Janne Schaffer | | Live album |
| 24 | Fascination Street Sessions | Ihsahn | Candlelight Records | EP |
| 24 | Once Upon a Time | Excalion | Scarlet Records | |
| 24 | Hatred Reborn | Hatesphere | Scarlet Records | Produced at Antfarm Studios |
| 24 | Katharsis | Keep of Kalessin | | Premiered on board The Freedom Of The Seas |
| 24 | No Place Like Alone | Xysma | Svart Records | First album for 25 years |
| 31 | Screem Writers Guild | Lordi | Atomic Fire Records | First album on Atomic Fire |
| 31 | Apocalypse | Rotten Sound | Season Of Mist | |

### April

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 7 | Hamartia | Tribulation | Century Media | EP |
| 14 | Black Medium Current | Dødheimsgard | Peaceville Records | |
| 14 | Hunt the Flame | Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall | Frontiers Music | |
| 21 | Death of Darkness | The 69 Eyes | Atomic Fire Records | |
| 21 | River of Diamonds | Liv Kristine | Metalville Records | Tracks composed by Tommy Olsson |
| 21 | It's Time to Rock the World Again | Magnus Rosén Band | X-World / Sound Pollution | Includes 5 bonus tracks |
| 28 | Always on my Mind | Rebekka Bakken | Sony Music | |
| 28 | Beyond the Cenotaph of Mankind | Runemagick | Hammerheart Records | |
| 28 | Blómi | Susanne Sundfør | Bella Union | |

### May

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 5 | Everything Destroys You | Deathstars | Nuclear Blast | First album for eight years |
| 5 | Nostalgia | Enforcer | | Recorded at Hvergelmer Studios and produced by the band |
| 5 | Fremmede Toner | Lumsk | Dark Essence Records | |
| 19 | Phantomime | Ghost | Lorna Vista | EP |
| 26 |
| 26 | War Against All | Immortal | Nuclear Blast | |
| 26 | Kalmah | Kalmah | Ranka Kustannus | |
| 26 | Outside the Rock Box | Magnus Rosén Band | | Mini-album |
| 26 | 1977 | Sirenia | Napalm Records | |

### June

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 2 | Interference | Anubis Gate | No Dust Records | |
| 2 | Slasher | Omnium Gatherum | Century Media Records | EP |
| 9 | Lullabies for Piano and Cello | Gabríel Ólafs | Decca Records US | |
| 9 | The Singularity (Phase II – Xenotaph) | Scar Symmetry | | First album for 9 years |
| 16 | The Storm Within | Saturnus | Nuclear Blast | Produced by Flemming Rasmussen |
| 16 | Átta | Sigur Rós | BMG | First album for ten years |
| 23 | Carry the Beast | Nocturnal Breed | Darkish Essence Information | |
| 23 | Bloodlines | Pyramaze | AFM Records | |
| 23 | Helvegr | Tsjuder | Season of Mist | |
| 30 | Stormbringers | Before the Dawn | | |

### July

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 6 | Du Måste Ta Ansvar | Ansvaret | NT Productions | |
| 7 | Slugs of Love | Little Dragon | Ninja Tune | Featuring Damon Albarn |
| 7 | Tales from the North | Bloodbound | AFM/Soulfood | Concept album about Viking era |
| 14 | We Shall Remain | Eleine | Atomic Fire Records | |
| 21 | The Age of the Offended | Cadaver | Nuclear Blast Records | |
| 27 | Last of a Kind | Panzerchrist | Emanzipation Productions | First album for ten years |

### August

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 11 | The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons | The Hives | Disques Hives | First album featuring bassist The Johan and Only |
| 11 | Rocking Heels: Live at Metal Church | Tarja | earMUSIC | Live album |
| 18 | The Vertigo Trigger | Cyhra | Nuclear Blast | Self-produced and mixed by Euge Valovirta |
| 18 | Ýdalir | Skálmöld | Napalm | |
| 18 | Here for None | Warmen | Reaper Entertainment | Featuring Janne Wirman |

### September

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 1 | Club Romantech | Icona Pop | TEN Music Group/Ultra | |
| 1 | Memento Mori | Marduk | Century Media | |
| 1 | Memorial | Soen | Silver Lining Music | |
| 1 | Et Hav Av Avstand | Taake | Dark Essence Records | All instruments played by Hoest |
| 8 | Ending | Kvelertak | Nuclear Blast | |
| 9 | Live in Studio 3 | Anna Mjöll | | |
| 15 | Grand Explosivos | Electric Boys | Mighty Music | |
| 15 | Daemonic Rites | Mayhem | Century Media | Live album |
| 15 | Sunholy | Shade Empire | Candlelight Records | |
| 15 | Shining | Shining | Napalm Record | |
| 22 | Soundtrack to the End of Times | Mercenary | | Featuring Matt Heafy |

### October

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 6 | The Cancer Pledge | October Tide | Agonia Records | |
| 13 | Queen of Time (Live at Tavastia 2021) | Amorphis | Atomic Fire | Live album |
| 13 | Heartbreakmiljonär | Oscar Zia | Sony | Digital download |
| 20 | Spine | Myrkur | Relapse Records | |
| 27 | Reign of the Reaper | Sorcerer | Metal Blade Records | |

### November

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 3 | Songs of the Dusk | Insomnium | Century Media Records | EP |
| 3 | Die in Fire – Live in Hell (Agony and Ecstasy Over Stockholm) | Watain | Nuclear Blast | Live album recorded 7 October 2022 |
| 10 | Dark Christmas | Tarja Turunen | earMUSIC | Covers album |
| 17 | Philosopher | Aeternus | Agonia Records | Recorded at Conclave & Earshot Studios |
| 17 | Plague | Corroded | Despotz Records | |

### December

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes |
| 8 | Inspiratio Profanus | Dimmu Borgir | Nuclear Blast Records | Covers album |
| 12 | Vandrar | Gåte | Independent label | EP |
| 15 | A Chapter Called Children of Bodom (The Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019) | Children of Bodom | Spinefarm | Live album |
| 15 | Leviathan III | Therion | Napalm Records | |
| 15 | Trolldom | Troll | Polypus Records | |

## Eurovision Song Contest

* Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023
* Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023
* Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023
* Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023
* Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023

## Classical works

* Anders Hillborg – Piano Concerto No. 2 (The MAX Concerto)
* Marcus Paus – The War Cross
* Esa-Pekka Salonen – Sinfonia concertante for organ and orchestra
* Anna S. Þorvaldsdóttir
** Rituals (for string quartet)
** Ubique'

## Film and television music

* Pessi Levanto – Superposition
* Peter Peter, with Peter Kyed, Cliff Martinez and Julian Winding – Copenhagen Cowboy

## Deaths

* 9 January – Magnar Mangersnes, Norwegian organist and choral conductor, 84
* 15 January – Doris, Swedish pop singer, 75
* 28 January – Odd Børre, Norwegian Eurovision singer, 83
* 23 February – Slim Borgudd, Swedish racing driver and drummer (Lea Riders Group), 76
* 8 March – Josua Madsen, Danish drummer, 45 (traffic accident)
* 1 April
** Dario Campeotto, Danish-Italian singer Eurovision singer and actor, 84
** Jack Vreeswijk, Swedish singer, song lyricist and composer, 59 (colon cancer)
* 7 April – Lasse Wellander, Swedish guitarist (ABBA), 70
* 1 May – Pugh Rogefeldt, Swedish musician and songwriter, 76
* 14 May
** Garðar Cortes, Icelandic operatic tenor and opera director, founder of The Icelandic Opera, 82
** Bernt Rosengren, Swedish jazz saxophonist, 85
* 20 May – Sven Nyhus, Norwegian folk musician, 90
* 2 June – Kaija Saariaho, Finnish composer, 70
* 4 July – Miki Liukkonen, Finnish writer and musician, 33
* 5 July – Ralph Lundsten, Swedish composer, 86
* 22 July – Knut Riisnæs, Norwegian jazz musician, 77
* 12 August – Berit Lindholm, Swedish operatic soprano, 88
* 15 August – Arnold Östman, Swedish conductor, 83
* 26 August – Bosse Broberg, Swedish jazz trumpeter and composer, 85
* 3 October – Harald Tusberg, Norwegian TV presenter, musician and songwriter, 88
* 19 October – Lasse Berghagen, Swedish singer-songwriter, 78
* 25 October – Hans Mosesson, Swedish actor, singer and songwriter, 79
* 19 November – Catherine Christer Hennix, Swedish polymath, 75
* 24 November – Jukka Haavisto, Finnish musician and music writer, 93
* 25 November – Yngvar Numme, Norwegian singer and actor, 79
* 6 December – Pedro Hietanen [fi], Finnish musician and conductor, 74
* 20 December – Torben Ulrich, Danish polymath, 95