2012 in Scandinavian music

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Last updated December 15, 2024

The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Scandinavian music in 2012.
(Go to last year in Scandinavian music or next year in Scandinavian music.)

Events

31 March
- Norway's Sigrid Moldestad is awarded the Vossajazzprisen for 2012.^[1]
- Norwegian jazz musician and composer Karl Seglem performs the commissioned work Som Spor at Vossajazz.^[2]
5 May – Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick and his quintet receive the BMW Welt Jazz Award 2012.^[3]
6 May – Swedish singer Loreen wins the 57th annual Eurovision Song Contest, held in Baku, Azerbaijan.^[4]
6 June – The 20th Sweden Rock Festival opens in Norje, running until 9 June).^[5]
25 June – Peter Wichers leaves the band Soilwork for a second time.^[6]
24 September – Swedish band Dark Funeral appear in Washington DC, United States, making their first major appearance with their new vocalist Nachtgarm.^[7] He would leave the band after less than a year.
1 October – Anette Olzon leaves the band Nightwish.^[8]
9 November – Finnish band Amberian Dawn announce the departure of singer Heidi Parviainen, drummer Heikki Saari and guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen.^[9]
21 December – Päivi "Capri" Virkkunen is announced as the new vocalist of Amberian Dawn.^[10]

New works

Hans Abrahamsen – String Quartet No. 4^[11]
Magnus Lindberg – Acequia Madre, for clarinet and piano^[12]
Kaija Saariaho – Circle Map ^[13]

Film and television music

Hildur Guðnadóttir – Astro: An Urban Fable in a Magical Rio de Janeiro ^[14]
Imaginaerum (released 23 November), based on Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish's seventh studio album of the same name, co-written by the band's keyboardist and songwriter Tuomas Holopainen.^[15]

Albums released

January

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
9	Todd Terje	It's the Arps	Olsen Records	EP	^[16]
27	Tord Gustavsen Quartet	The Well	AFM Records		^[17]
27	Stian Omenås	Klangkammer 1			^[18]

February

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
1	Swallow the Sun	Emerald Forest and the Blackbird	Spinefarm Records		^[19]
10	Dunderbeist	Black Arts & Crooked Tails			^[20]
10	Engel	Songs for the Dead		EP	^[21]
13	Coldworker	The Doomsayer's Call	Listenable Records	Final album before 2013 breakup	^[22]
14	Avatar	Black Waltz	eOne Music		^[23]
15	Soen	Cognitive	Spinefarm Records	Debut album	^[24]

March

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
23	Aura Noir	Out to Die			^[25]
26	Borknagar	Urd	High Roller Records / Indie Recordings		^[26]
26	Naglfar	Téras	Century Media Records	Features Dirk Verbeuren as a session musician	^[27]
30	Atrocity	Die Gottlosen Jahre		Double live DVD	^[28]

April

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
18	In Mourning	The Weight of Oceans	Spinefarm Records	Produced by Jonas Kjellgren	^[29]
18	Verjnuarmu	Pimmeyvven Ruhtinas	Universal Music		^[30]
23	Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra	Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7; Karelia Suite	Decca Records, Deutsche Grammophon	Conducted by Neeme Järvi	^[31]

May

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
7	Storm Corrosion	Storm Corrosion	Roadrunner Records	Collaboration between Mikael Åkerfeldt and Steven Wilson	^[32]

June

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
1	Circus Maximus	Nine	Frontiers Records		^[33]
1	Jorn	Bring Heavy Rock to the Land	Frontiers Records		^[34]

July

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
23	Zonaria	Arrival of the Red Sun	Listenable Records		^[35]

August

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
24	Tarja Turunen	Act I : Live in Rosario	earMUSIC	Live album recorded at El Círculo Theatre in Rosario, Argentina	^[36]
24	Trollfest	Brumlebassen			^[37]
27	Ensiferum	Unsung Heroes			^[38]
	Grave	Endless Procession of Souls	Century Media Records		^[39]
	Katatonia	Dead End Kings	Peaceville Records		^[40]

September

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
7	Elephant9, with Reine Fiske	Atlantis	Rune Grammofon		^[41]

October

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
22	Dark Tranquillity	Zero Distance	Century Media Records	EP	^[42]
26	Skálmöld	Börn Loka	Napalm Records	Based on Norse mythology	^[43]
30	Ragnarok	Malediction	Agonia Records		^[44]

November

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Ref.
2	NonExist	From My Cold Dead Hands		^[45]
	Moonlight	Lucifer's Rising	Impaled Records	^[46]
	Tiamat	The Scarred People	Napalm Records	^[47]

December

Day	Album	Artist	Label	Notes	Ref.
5	Yngwie Malmsteen	Spellbound	Rising Force		^[48]
12	The Project Hate MCMXCIX	The Cadaverous Retaliation Agenda	Mouth of Belial Productions		^[49]
21	The Unguided	InvaZion (EP)		EP	^[50]

Deaths

1 January – Anders Frandsen, Danish singer and television presenter, 51^[51]
4 January – Totti Bergh, Norwegian jazz saxophonist, 76^[52]
13 February – Tommi Kristian "Tonmi" Lillman ("Otus"), Finnish drummer (Lordi), 38^[53]
22 February – Eivin One Pedersen, Norwegian jazz accordionist and pianist, 55^[54]
15 March – Edvard Hagerup Bull, Norwegian classical composer, 89^[55]
15 June – Rune Gustafsson, Swedish guitarist and composer, 78^[56]
8 October – John Tchicai, Danish saxophonist and composer, 76^[57]
15 October – Axel Borup-Jørgensen, Danish composer, 87^[58]
3 November
- Anne-Lise Berntsen, Norwegian soprano, 69^[59]
- Odd Børretzen, Norwegian author and folk singer, 85^[60]
15 November – Frode Thingnæs, Norwegian jazz musician, 72^[61]

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