The first confirmations for the seventh edition of the ARTmania Festival are here. Fans of Delain and Trail of Tears will be able to see their idols at Sibiu in 2012. Tickets and subscriptions will be available at the International Tattoo Convention at World Trade Center, between October 14-16, 2011, but also in the usual ticket distribution networks. 

A concert of Dutch band Delain has been a wish expressed by the active members of the ARTmania community. The band’s story began in 2002 when Martijn Westerjolt, ex keyboard player in Within Temptation, along with the charismatic Charlotte Wessels founded Delain and started composing together with other talented musicians, signing in 2005 with RoadRunner Records and beginning to record their first album.  “Lucidity” featured important guests from the metal area: Marco Hietala of Nightwish and Tarot, Liv Kristine (Leave’s Eyes) and Sharon Den Adel (Within Temptation).

Their second album is released in 2009 with a huge international success, amplified by their numerous live European shows. Charismatic figure, Charlotte, attracts many different aged fans in spite of her 24 years. The Dutch girl has a Bachelor in Art and even a world record along with 1,300 other people as part of a cookie-on-a-string eating contest, a traditional Dutch game.

Delain will be in Romania for the first time at ARTmania Festival Sibiu 2012, and fans can get ready to listen to new songs. Their third album is already on its way, production being signed by Jacob Hellner, well known for his collaborations with Rammstein and Apocalyptica.

The Norwegian based Trail of Tears has been playing since ’94, but has never been to Romania, is spite of its strong fan base. They stated in an interview in 2007 for metalhead.ro that they would really like to play in Romania. With six albums so far and a new one ready to be launched, the artists of Trail of Tears are ready for the meeting in Sibiu’s Large Square in 2012.

Trail of Tears have an impressive history. They started as a cover band in a Southern Norwegian town. Natt, their initial name, played Pantera and Sepultura songs and Ronny became the leading vocalist at the age of sixteen just because “I liked extreme voices”.  After the release of the first demo, the band signs with a record company and changes its name to Trail of Tears, title proposed by a former guitarist interested in the history of North American Indians: “we were sixteen and for the most of us it simply meant a good name”.

The second album,“Profundemonium” (2000) is followed by line-up changes, the leading singer being replaced with Catherine Paulsen, a voice that will sing with them until 2003. During this time, the album “A New Dimension of Might” is produced, launched and promoted. The next few years translate in the release of Free Fall Fear, a male singer only album and the departure of the whole band in 2006, just before the release of album number five, “Existentia”.

Ronny Thorsen announces the return of Catherin Paulsen in 2007 and in 2009 Trail of Tears returns to the metal audience with the album „Bloodstained Endurance”. If in 2010 their concerts were mostly in Holland and Norway, with a visit at MetalCamp Slovakia and Brutal Assault in the Czech Republic, Trail of Tears will hit Taiwan and China in November and December 2011.

Trail of Tears have announced late September 2011 that recording for the new album has been finished  “We believe that we have created something extraordinary and can’t wait to share it with you all. Never before has a recording process involved so much blood, sweat and tears!” Trail of Tears fans will listen to new song at ARTmania 2012.

Subscriptions can be bought in Eventim network (Germanos, Carturest, etc), Diverta and online at shop.artmania.ro, eventim.ro and myticket.ro for 60 lei the first 700, price valid until the end of the year. The next presale will be 80 lei and in the ARTmania Festival week, ticket prices will be 150 lei.

In 2012, ARTmania Festival Sibiu will take place between August 6 – 12 and its offer includes a varied cultural program with concerts, exhibitions, book launches, workshops and other events dedicated to the belles-arts. All these will take place in the ARTmania special areas: the Large Square, the Small Square and ARTmania Festival Sibiu Arena (Camping and Entertainment).

Event cofinanced by the local Council of Sibiu through the Town Hall and the Cultural House of Sibiu Municipality.