2021 in Nordic music
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The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Nordic music in 2021.
Events
January
- 7 January – The death of Finnish guitarist Alexi Laiho is announced on social media by members of his band Bodom After Midnight.[1] It is reported that Laiho had "suffered from long-term health issues during his last years".
- 12 January – Finnish musician Marko Hietala announces that he is leaving Nightwish and retiring from public life as a result of disillusionment and concerns about his mental health.[2]
- 22 January – Papa Emeritus IV is introduced to the public on the TV game show "På spåret", performing with The Hellacopters.[3]
- 25 January – Swedish musician Snowy Shaw announces that he will release one song per month during 2021, making up a digital album.[4]
February
- 20 February
- In the final of Melodi Grand Prix 2021, the 59th edition of Norway's national selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, Tix is selected as the country's representative, with the song "Fallen Angel".[5]
- In the Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2021, the 10th edition of Finland's national selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, the rock group Blind Channel are selected as the country's representatives, with their song "Dark Side".[6]
March
- 13 March
- At Melodifestivalen 2021, the 61st edition of the Swedish music competition, Tusse is selected as Sweden's entrant, with the song "Voices", composed by Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt and Anderz Wrethov.[7] The Mamas, who had been selected as the 2020 entrants, with "Move", also competed in the final, with a new song, "In the Middle", but finished in third place.[8]
- Iceland's Eurovision representatives, Daði og Gagnamagnið, release "10 Years", the song chosen as the country's entry.[9]
May
- 30 April – Finnish rock band Before the Dawn release their first single since reforming after their 2013 break-up.[10]
May
- 19 May – It is announced that two members of Gagnamagnið, Iceland's competitors at the Eurovision Song Contest, have tested positive for COVID-19, meaning that their appearance in the semi-final and final have to be based on footage from their rehearsal at Rotterdam Ahoy, recorded on 13 May.[11][12]
- 20 May – In the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, Denmark fail to qualify for the final.[13]
- 22 May – In the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, held in Rotterdam, Netherlands,[14] Iceland finish in 4th place, Finland in 6th place, Sweden in 14th place, and Norway in 18th place.[15]
June
July
August
- 13 August – Mikael Stanne announces that longtime drummer Anders Jivarp and bassist Anders Iwers will be leaving the Swedish metal band Dark Tranquillity.[19]
- 26 August – ABBA launch a new website, containing information about their forthcoming new album.[20]
October
- October – Tarja Turunen produces her autobiography, Singing in My Blood.[21]
November
- 5 November - ABBA release Voyage, their first album of new material in 40 years.[22]
- ABBA's new single, is nominated for a Grammy award in the "Record of the Year" category, the group's first-ever nomination.[23]
December
- 6 December – The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra appoints Ryan Bancroft as its next principal conductor, beginning with the 2023–2024 season.[24]
- 6 December – The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra announces that Susanna Mälkki will stand down as its chief conductor at the end of the 2022–2023 season, and will become chief conductor emeritus with the orchestra.[25]
Albums released
January
| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Welfare Jazz | Viagra Boys | YEAR0001 | [26] | |
| 15 | En gång i tiden | Benjamin Ingrosso | TEN Music | Ingrosso's first album in Swedish language | [27] |
| 22 | Leviathan | Therion | Nuclear Blast | [28] | |
| Kvitravn | Wardruna | Norse Music | Postponed from April 2020 | [29] | |
| Never Say Die | Wig Wam | Frontiers Records | [30] | ||
| 29 | Imperial | Soen | Silver Lining Music | [31] | |
| Where the Gloom Becomes Sound | Tribulation | Metal Blade (U.S.); Century Media | [32] | ||
February
| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | The Raging River | Cult of Luna | Red Crk Recordings | EP; guest appearance by Mark Lanegan | [33] |
| Jylhä | Korpiklaani | Nuclear Blast | Digital album, CD, black vinyl and green vinyl | [34] | |
| Sturle Dagsland | Sturle Dagsland | Debut album, recorded in Stavanger | [35] | ||
| Oakland moments: cello, voice, reuniting (rejoicing) | Torben Ulrich & Lori Goldston | via Bandcamp | [36] | ||
| 12 | Riddles, Ruins & Revelations | Sirenia | Napalm Records | [37] | |
| 19 | Among Ashes and Monoliths | Ablaze My Sorrow | Black Lion Records | [38] | |
| Neyslutrans Remixed | Hatari | Svikamylla | Remixes of songs that appeared on Hatari's debut album, Neyslutrans | [39] | |
| 26 | North Star | Einherjer | Streaming via Bandcamp | [40] | |
| Escape of the Phoenix | Evergrey | [41] | |||
March
| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Necro Sapiens | Baest | [42] | ||
| Poster Girl | Zara Larsson | TEN, Epic | #3 on Swedish album chart | [43] | |
| The Sognametal Legacy | Windir | Season of Mist | Compilation album, on vinyl | [44] | |
| 12 | Heart Healer | Heart Healer | Frontiers Records | Magnus Karlsson's project to create the first metal opera using female singers only. | [45] |
| Royal Destroyer | The Crown | Metal Blade Records | [46] | ||
| 19 | Live by Fire II | Enforcer | Nuclear Blast Records | Live album | [47] |
| Ding Dong. You're Dead. | Hedvig Mollestad Trio | Rune Grammofon | [48] | ||
| Happy Heroes | Trollfest | Napalm Records | EP | [49][47] | |
| 26 | Earthrise | The Quill | Ninth full-length album | [50] | |
April
| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Shadows of Iconoclasm | Darkthrone | Peaceville Records | Box set | [51] |
| 9 | Norwegian Gothic | Årabrot | Pelagic | Produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano | [52] |
| Vultures Die Alone | Arion | Produced by Matias Kupiainen | [53] | ||
| 16 | Have Courage Dear Heart | Liv Kristine | Nuclear Blast | 9-track EP; digital version only released on this date | [54] |
| 23 | Paint the Sky with Blood | Bodom After Midnight | Napalm Records | EP; featuring final work of Alexi Laiho | [55] |
| 30 | Out of the Ashes Into the Fire | Axewitch | Pure Steel Records | First album since 1985 | [56] |
| Ups!de Down | Electric Boys | Mighty Music | Recorded at Ghost Ward studios; co-produced with David Castillo | [57] | |
| Wild North West | Vreid | Season of Mist | [58] | ||
May
| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Green Valley Live | Candlemass | Peaceville | Live album, including one new track | [59] |
| 7 | Virgo | Sarah Klang | Pangur Records | [60] | |
| Seek Shelter | Iceage | Mexican Summer | First album featuring Casper Morilla Fernandez. Two tracks feature the Lisboa Gospel Collective. | [61] | |
| 21 | Welcome | Daði Freyr | AWAL | EP | [62] |
| Witness | VOLA | Mascot Records | The band's first top ten album on the UK Rock Albums chart | [63] | |
| 28 | Creatures of the Dark Realm | Bloodbound | AFM Records | 9th studio album | [64] |
| Svartrviðr | King of Asgard | Mixed and mastered by Magnus Devo Andersson at Endarker Studio (Sweden) | [65] | ||
June
| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Lay Down and Be Counted | General Surgery | EP | [66] | |
| Needles of Rust | This Ending | Black Lion Records | Recorded, mixed and mastered at Wing Studios by Sverker Widgren | [67] | |
| 18 | The Enigma Birth | Timo Tolkki's Avalon | Frontiers Music Srl | featuring Raphael Mendes | [68] |
| 25 | Eternal Hails | Darkthrone | [69] | ||
| Opus Ferox – The Great Escape | Loch Vostok | [70] | |||
| Fun Is Not a Straight Line | Sasu Ripatti | Planet Mu | [71] | ||
July
| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | The Nightmare of Being | At the Gates | Century | Mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren | [72] |
| 9 | Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies | Snoh Aalegra | ARTium, Roc Nation | [73] | |
| Atavistic Black Disorder / Kommando | Mayhem | Century | EP | [74] | |
| 23 | Parabellum | Yngwie Malmsteen | Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group | [75] | |
| 30 | Sprinkles | Kasper Bjørke | Instrumental | [citation needed] | |
| Arete | Netherbird | Eisenwald | [76] | ||
| 20 Years of Gloom, Beauty and Despair – Live in Helsinki | Swallow the Sun | Century Media Records | Live album | [77] | |
August
| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Negative | Act of Denial | Crusader Records/Golden Robot Records | Debut album | [78] |
| 20 | Hexahedron – Live at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter | Ulver | Live album recorded in April 2018 | [79] | |
| 27 | Aphelion | Leprous | InsideOut Music | Recorded at studios in Sweden and Norway | [80] |
| The Tritonus Bell | Hooded Menace | Mixed by Andy LaRocque | [81] | ||
| Vanagandr | Thyrfing | Despotz Records | Co-recorded and co-produced by Jakob Herrmann at Top Floor Studios, Gothenburg; mixed by Jacob Hansen | [82] | |
September
| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Back on Track | M.ill.ion | AOR Heaven | Mixed by Simon Hanhart and mastered by Tim Debney | [83] |
| Strong | Anette Olzon | Frontiers Music Srl | Written and composed in collaboration with Magnus Karlsson | [84] | |
| 17 | Argent Moon | Insomnium | Century Media Records | EP | [85] |
| 24 | Companion | Skepticism | Svart Records | First album since 2015 | [86] |
| Shaman (EP) | Orbit Culture | Seek & Strike | Produced, mixed and mastered by Niklas Karlsson | [87] | |
October
| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mnemosynean | Katatonia | Peaceville Records | Compilation album | [88] |
| 8 | Imperial Congregation | Blood Red Throne | Nuclear Blast | [89] | |
| Wired | Eclipse | [90] | |||
| 15 | God Ends Here | Aeon | Metal Blade Records | [91] | |
| Måsstaden under vatten | Vildhjarta | Century Media | First album with Buster Odeholm as drummer | [92] | |
| 22 | Arsonist of the Soul | Burning Point | AFM Records | First album for five years | [93] |
| 29 | The Sixth Storm | Count Raven | I Hate Records | First album for 12 years | [94] |
| WoduridaR | Helheim | Dark Essence | Recorded at Conclave & Earshot Studio | [95] | |
November
| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Voyage | ABBA | Polar Music/Universal Music | Produced by Benny Andersson | [22] |
| Origin | Omnium Gatherum | Century Media Records | Mixed by Jens Bogren and mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios | [96] | |
| Allsighr | Sarke | Soulseller Records | Recorded by Børge Finstad and Kevin Kleiven at Top Room Studios | [97] | |
| 12 | Angel of Carnage Unleashed | Darkwoods My Betrothed | Napalm Records | Featuring Tuomas Holopainen | [98] |
| Won't Let the Sun Go Down | The Mamas | Universal Music | EP | [99] | |
| 19 | Moonflowers | Swallow the Sun | Bonus instrumental album composed for strings and recorded at Sipoo Church in Finland | [100] | |
| 26 | Worship the Eternal Darkness | Archgoat | Debemur Morti Productions | [101] | |
| Heaven in Hiding | Imminence | We Are Triumphant Records | [102] | ||
| The Bleeding Veil | In Mourning | Agonia Records | [103] | ||
| Lordiversity | Lordi | Box set of seven albums | [104] | ||
December
| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Victory in Blood | Unanimated | First studio album for 10 years | [105] | |
| Servant of the Mind | Volbeat | Republic Records | Featuring Stine Bramsen | [106] | |
| 10 | Praesentialis in Aeternum | Funeral | mixed and mastered by Børge Finstad | [107] | |
| A Gentleman's Legacy | The Murder of My Sweet | Featuring Mike Palace and Patrick Janson | [108] | ||
| 17 | 1349 | Memory Garden | No Remorse Records | First full-length album for 8 years | [109] |
Eurovision Song Contest
Classical works
- Anna S. Þorvaldsdóttir – Catamorphosis[110]
- Klas Torstensson – City Imprints[111]
Opera
Film and television music
Deaths
- 10 January – Thorleif Torstensson, 71, Swedish singer (COVID-19)[115]
- 16 January – Pave Maijanen, 70, Finnish musician (complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)[116]
- 13 February – Eva Nässén, 74, Swedish singer and teacher[117]
- 1 March – Hauk Buen, 87, Norwegian hardingfele fiddler and fiddle maker[118]
- 7 March – Lars-Göran Petrov, 49, Swedish singer (cancer)[119]
- 11 March – Claes Dieden, 78, Swedish singer-songwriter[120]
- 4 May – Henrik Ohlin, Swedish bassist (Black Ingvars).[121] (death announced on this date)
- 10 May
- Lars-Gunnar Bodin, 85, Swedish electronic music pioneer[122]
- Svante Thuresson, 84, Swedish jazz musician[123]
- 25 May – Søren Holm, 25, Danish singer (Liss).[124]
- 2 June – Carl Høgset, 79, Norwegian choral conductor and singer[125]
- 9 June – Torgny Björk, 82, Swedish musician, composer and singer.[126]
- 27 June – Peps Persson, 74, Swedish blues and reggae musician and social critic[127]
- 20 July – Curt-Eric Holmquist, 73, conductor and Eurovision Song Contest winner[128]
- 4 August – Anders Pettersson, 69, Swedish musician (Lasse Stefanz)[129]
- 16 September – Geir Johnson, 67, Norwegian composer and musicologist[130]
- 19 September – Mats Paulson, 83, Swedish singer, poet and songwriter[131]
- 30 September – Lennart Åberg, 79, Swedish jazz musician and composer[132]
- 9 October – Jim Pembroke, 75, British-born vocalist of Finnish band Wigwam[133]
- 21 October – Einár, 19, Swedish rapper (shot)[134]
- 27 October – Benjamin Vallé, 47, Swedish musician (Viagra Boys).[135]
- 11 November – Per Aage Brandt, 77, Danish writer, poet, linguist and musician[136]
- 19 November – Hank von Hell, 49, Norwegian punk rock singer[137]
- 27 November – Teppo Hauta-aho, Finnish double bassist and composer (born 1941)[138]
- 28 November – Laila Halme, 87, Finnish singer[139]
- 17 December – Torhild Staahlen, 74, Norwegian operatic mezzo-soprano[140]