ARTmania Festival 2010 will take place between 13th and 15th August. Reaching its fifth edition, ARTmania Festival 2010 announced:Serj Tankianthe sisters of mercyKamelotSireniaSwallow the Sun and Dark Tranquillity.

Friday, Large Square: the sisters of mercy, Kamelot, Swallow the Sun

Saturday, Large Square: Serj Tankian, Dark Tranquillity, Sirenia

Various metal bands played at the festival in the past four years: Nightwish, HIM, Opeth, Amorphis, Anathema, Lacrimosa, Tiamat, My Dying Bride or Within Temptation. ARTmania Festival is focused on two days concerts in the center of the city, but also on art exhibitions, club parties and many other cultural activities in the medieval fortress of Sibiu.

One of the most unconventional front men in rock, System Of A Down singer Serj Tankian emerges as a solo artist with his debut album Elect The Dead. Classical and electrical instruments will be heard on Saturday in the Large Square of Sibiu surrounding the voice of the artist who revolutionized rock music.

[the 1=”Sisters” 2=”are…” ] “a lean glittering groove machine for the new millennium, leaving the sullenly anachronistic reformations of their contemporaries far behind” and will perform Friday, on the 13th of August 2010 in the Large Square at ARTmania Festival 2010.

Kamelot is one of the metal’s unique, influential and prestigious acts to come along in decades. The group’s reputation among fans and media alike, is marked by enthusiasm as well as esteem, each of their seven studio albums to date surpassing its predecessor in terms of songwriting and production. Musically, Kamelot combine different styles which they blend into their own homogenous, distinctive trademark. Youngblood said: “We play power metal as much as progressive metal and ghotic metal.“

Sirenia sounds like a mixture of gothic metal and rock with classical influences, in addition to some elements from more extreme metal genres. The band was formed by Morten Veland in January 2001. Morten’s musical work was already well known through his work with his former band Tristania, a band he co-founded back in the mid nineties that played at ARTmania Festival 2009.

Dark Tranquillity offers an intense musical experience, bearing the mark of the natives’ Scandinavian roots. Their elevated music style was personalized and refined in over 20 years of metal experience and a great amount of studio productions. In Flames and Dark Tranquillity are the royal highneses of Gothenburg metal, world wide praised for creatig the style.

Finnish band Swallow the Sun saw their debut in the beginning of 2000. Their music is complex and rich in imagery and message. At times romantic, sad or aggressive, Swallow the Sun cannot be overlooked in the doom and melodic scenes. With four studio recordings, the band continuously refines its style and likes to experiment with new sounds.

ARTmania Festival 2010 is presenting six concerts in The Large Square on Friday and Saturday and other alternative events during the 13-15th August weekend where the access is permitted with tickets or passes for the Large Square. Tickets and passes are available atCarturestiDivertaGermanosHumanitas and Vodafone Shops and online on www.eventim.rowww.bilete.ro and www.myticket.ro. Outside Romania tickets are available on the Eventim European Network.

Presale I: 1-30April – 70RON/day 110/pass (~18/29€)

Presale II: 1-31May – 80RON/day 140RON/pass (~21/37€)

Presale III: 1 June – 12 August – 90RON/day 160RON/pass (~24/42€)

Sale inside the festival: 110RON/day 180RON/pass (~29/47€)

The Sibiu Local Council through the Sibiu Town Hall and the Sibiu House of Culture and the Sibiu County Council co finances ARTmania Festival.