# 2008 in Scandinavian music

The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Scandinavian music in 2008.

## Events

* 1 January – Making her début as a concert pianist, German violinist Julia Fischer chooses Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor at the Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany.
* 14 March – Norwegian guitarist Mads Berven is awarded the Vossajazzprisen 2008 at the Vossajazz festival.
* 20 May – On finally leaving Viking metal band Stratovarius after 20 years, Norwegian lead vocalist and band founder Timo Tolkki agrees to sign over his right to use the band's name, giving other members the option to continue without him.
* 11 September – Christian Älvestam leaves the band Scar Symmetry and begins a solo career.
* 18 September – Peter Wichers returns to Swedish band Soilwork, replacing Daniel Antonsson.
* 7 October – The Spotify on-demand music streaming service is launched in Sweden, where it was founded two years earlier.
* 9 October – Singer Denny Axelsson leaves Swedish band The Blinded.
* November – Norwegian black metal vocalist Gaahl reveals that he is gay, in an interview with the magazine Rock Hard.
* unknown date – Stefan Klaverdal wins first prize at the International Competition for Electroacoustic Music in Bourges, for his score for the film SIDA 33.

## Classical works

* Kalevi Aho –Minea. Concertante Music for Orchestra
* Bo Holten – The Visit of the Royal Physician (opera), published

## Albums released
### January

| Day | Artist | Album | Label | Notes |
| 2 | In Mourning | Shrouded Divine | Aftermath Music | Debut album |
| 14 | The Dø | A Mouthful | Cinq 7 | Debut album |
| 30 | Lykke Li | Youth Novels | LL Recordings | Produced by Björn Yttling |

### February

| Day | Artist | Album | Label | Notes | Ref. |
| 8 | Behexen | My Soul for His Glory | Hammer of Hate Records | Limited edition | |
| 13 | Norther | N | Century Media Records | Last Norther album with Petri Lindroos | |

### March

| Day | Artist | Album | Label | Notes |
| 10 | Bloodbath | Unblessing the Purity | Peaceville Records | First album with Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals since 2002 |
| 10 | Nortt | Galgenfrist | Avantgarde Music | Recorded 2006-7 |
| 21 | Korpiklaani | Korven Kuningas | Nuclear Blast Records | First album with Nuclear Blast |

### April

| Day | Artist | Album | Label | Notes | Ref. |
| 15 | Ketil Bjørnstad | Life in Leipzig | ECM Records | Recorded in 2005; featuring Terje Rypdal | |

### May

| Day | Artist | Album | Label | Notes |
| 20 | Broder Daniel | Cruel Town | EMI Distribution | Re-release of last studio album before disbanding |
| 21 | Bang Gang | Ghosts from the Past | Cool Music | |
| 30 | Communic | Payment of Existence | | |
| 30 | Opeth | Watershed | | |
| 30 | Pyramaze | Immortal | Locomotive Music | Last album with Matt Barlow as vocalist |
| 30 | Sabaton | The Art of War | Black Lodge Records | Based on The Art of War by Sun Tzu |

### June

| Day | Artist | Album | Label | Notes |
| 2 | Bloodbath | The Wacken Carnage | Peaceville records | Live album |
| 2 | Satyricon | My Skin Is Cold | Roadrunner Records | EP |
| 10 | Unleashed | Hammer Battalion | Steamhammer | |

### July

| Day | Artist | Album | Label | Notes | Ref. |
| 14 | Basshunter | Now You're Gone – The Album | Hard2Beat, Warner Music Sweden, Ultra Records | First English-language album | |

### August

| Day | Artist | Album | Label | Notes | Ref. |
| 13 | Machinae Supremacy | Overworld | Spinefarm Records | | |

### September

| Day | Artist | Album | Label | Notes |
| 1 | Volbeat | Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood | Mascot Records, Rebel Monster | #1 in Danish and Finnish album charts |
| 17 | Swallow the Sun | Plague of Butterflies | Spinefarm | EP |
| 22 | Omnium Gatherum | The Redshift | Candlelight Records | Produced by Dan Swanö |

### October

| Day | Artist | Album | Label |
| 20 | Darkthrone | Dark Thrones and Black Flags | Peaceville Records |
| 24 | Darkane | Demonic Art | Nuclear Blast, Massacre Records |
| 24 | Lordi | Deadache | The End Records |

### November

| Day | Artist | Album | Label | Notes |
| 3 | Satyricon | The Age of Nero | Roadrunner Records | |
| 3 | Turisas | A Finnish Summer with Turisas | Century Media | DVD (documentary film) |
| 13 | Dag Arnesen Trio | Norwegian Song 2 | Resonant Music | |

### Unknown date

| Day | Artist | Album | Label | Notes | Ref. |
| | Anne Linnet | Anne Linnet | Sony BMG | | |

## Deaths

* 10 February – Inga Nielsen, Danish operatic soprano (born 1946; cancer)
* 15 March – Fredrik Friis, Norwegian composer, singer, and lyricist (born 1923)
* 16 March – Ola Brunkert, Swedish drummer, session drummer for ABBA (born 1946; accidental fall)
* 19 March – Eivind Solberg, Norwegian jazz trumpeter (born 1933)
* 30 March – Anders Göthberg, Swedish guitarist (born 1975)
* 18 July – Tauno Marttinen, Finnish composer (born 1912)
* 25 August – Pehr Henrik Nordgren, Finnish composer (born 1944; cancer)
* 6 October – Paavo Haavikko, Finnish poet and librettist (born 1931)
* 26 November – Pekka Pohjola, Finnish multi-instrumentalist and composer (born 1952; epileptic seizure)