With over 25 years in the music business, 13 studio albums, countless world tours and over five million albums sold Helloween is truly a leader of the metal music charts. The German legend comes to Sibiu to promote their latest album, “7 sinners”, and play some of their best-known songs like “Ride the Sky”, “I Want Out” and “Future World”. Helloween will hit the stage on Friday for an hour and a half show.

The ARTmania Festival takes place in the citadel of Sibiu, during the second week of August, between the 8th and 14th of August 2011. At its sixth edition, the festival presents a diverse cultural program, adapted both to the public and to the medieval town, with concerts, exhibits and special events dedicated to the belles arts, for seven days in the month of August. The concerts in the large square will take place on Friday and Saturday, 12th and 13th of August respectively. The artists confirmed so far are: Tarja, Helloween and Lacrimas Profundere for Friday and Lacuna Coil, Sonata Arctica and Republica for Saturday.

Tuborg, a well known brand for its involvement and devotion to music, will be again this year the festival’s official beer. The partnership from 2010 continues and promises ARTmania fans not only the best music but also other surprises by Turborg. With the Tuborg Sound platform, the Romanian portal of music that counts, Tuborg is always next to those who love quality music and supporting the ARTmania Festival comes naturally. In the Little Squre the public at ARTmania Festival will be enjoying the surprises prepared by Granini.  The Campaign Fruit National Day will continue at Sibiu during the ARTmania Festival. More details will be announced soon.  

During its almost 30 years of career, the band went through numerous lineup changes, however it slowly but surely reached the peaks of success. The latest Helloween album, “7 sinners”, was released last fall and as a surprise for the fans, the band made it available for streaming on their Myspace profile, a week before the official release. Every track on the album is a solo composition, meaning each of the Helloween members wrote the lyrics and the music without any other suggestions, a technique also used on “The Dark Ride” album.

About the “7 sinners” album the band says it’s definitely their fastest and hardest album so far. The tour promoting the disc, which has already sold gold in the Czech Republic and reached top positions in Japan and the U.S., began in November 2010, is scheduled until the end of 2011 and will be taking them around the world.

The band’s history began in the 80s Hamburg, and their first eponymous record was released in 1985. Soon it will be followed by “Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part 1 & 2” which will make them world renowned.  After Kai Hansen (currently playing in Gamma Ray) left, the band released “Pink Bubbles Go Ape” and “Chameleon”, which unfortunately did not encounter the same success. With “The Time of the Oath”, the band hits the limelight again and in 1998 “Better than Raw” is released.

“The Dark Side”, launched in 2000, is, as the name suggests, a much darker and more experimental album than the previous ones. Maybe it’s best known song is “If I Could Fly”, which quickly becomes a star in the band’s playlist, along with “Starlight”, “Murderer”, “Keeper of the Seventh Keys” and “How Many Tears”.

“Gambling with the Devil”, is released in 2007 and it’s considered one the heaviest album in the band’s history and Helloween says some of the ideas for this disc came while being in Romania. After the best of “Unarmed”, celebrating 25 years of existence, the band announced they were entering the studio to record a new album, the new released “7 sinners”.

Although officially confirmed for the festival, Nevermore will no longer be playing in Sibiu. The well-known American band Nevermore has cancelled its last June shows, after it had announced this April they would cancel their American Tour with Symphony X, Powerlove and Blackguard. The cancellations come as a result of serious events and changes the band is going through. In February the fans were informed that Jim Sheppard will be undergoing a complicated medical procedure, and later this year, in April, fans were struck again with bad news: Jeff Loomis and Van Williams were leaving citing internal conflicts within the group. Also, it is true that the Festival was having advanced negotiations with Hammerfall, but their answer, however, was not a positive one. We hope Nevermore will solve their difficulties and also that we will bring Hammerfall at the festival’s future editions.

ARTmania Festival 2011 presents concerts in the Large Square on Friday and Saturday, and also alternative events between the 8th and 14th of August, where the public has access thanks to their one day tickets (80 lei) and subscriptions (130 lei) (prices valid until the end of June), purchased throughEventim (Germanos, Carturesti etc.), Diverta, Vreau Bilet, or online at shop.artmania.roeventim.rovreaubilet.ro and www.myticket.ro.

Bilbor, the brand which brings purity from the altitude becomes in 2011 the official water of ARTmania Festival.

Event co-financed by the Local Council of Sibiu and The Cultural House of Sibiu.

Partner Institutions: Sibiu City Hall,  The Cultural House of SibiuBrukenthal National Museum and Astra National Musem Complex

Strategic Partners: Continental Hotels, Ibis Hotels, Oldies Pub, Flying Time and Transilvania Tattoo Expo