HELLOWEEN guitarist Michael Weikath is featured in a new interview with MyYearbook.com. An excerpt is available below.

Q: Your new album, 7 Sinners, is said to be your fastest and heaviest album in years. What made you guys want to return to your roots?

Weikath: "On our previous album, Unarmed, we made renditions of our most well-known tracks in a classical and pop fashion. There were many people who disapproved of that. But we always said we were going to come out with something real heavy next. We had a lot more time than before to come up with new material for 7 Sinners. We had two tracks in the making that had the term ‘sinner’ in the title. I said to [Andi] Deris, our singer, ‘We’re not likely to change any of the tracks, so why not call the album something like ‘sinner,’?’ He said ‘Yeah, 7 Sinners!’"

Q: Did you encounter any challenges while recording the album?

Weikath: "Yes, in fact we recorded everything on 432 hertz and as opposed to 440 hertz, which would be the usual way of recording ways, but no, we had to do it at 432. Sascha, our guitarist, thought the planet Earth has a frequency of eight hertz and if you multiply that for something to record as an instrument, if you want to have the same vibe, the same swing, it would be 432. There are surely other artists who proclaim that and do recordings at 432. We had to get some extra tuning meters that could be tuned to 432. We record everything that way, for it to come across even more natural, catchy and magical. For us, everything about this record was about being heavy, instant impact and magic."

Click here for the complete interview.

7 Sinners has achieved the following worldwide chart positions:

Japan: # 6

Finland: # 16

Greece: # 10

Germany: # 25

Czech Republic: # 9

Switzerland: # 38

Sweden: # 40

Spain: # 51

Austria: # 57

France: # 65

European Billboard Charts: # 56

The Hard Rock institution PINK CREAM 69 will complete the package of Helloween and their very special guest STRATOVARIUS at all German concerts of the 7 Sinners world tour in February 2011. A special kind of circle will close for the Karlsruhe formation, celebrating their 20th birthday with the release of a Live-Double CD and a History/Live DVD last year. After all, Helloween singer Andi Deris was a founding member of Pink Cream 69 and co-shaped the band decisively at the beginning of their career. Both bands will share a stage for the very first time. All dates, venues and support bands, below:

The 7 Sinners World Tour 2010/11 European Part I

December

1 - Langen, Germany - Neue Stadthalle *
2 - Antwerp, Belgium - Hof Ter Lo *
4 - Prestatyn, UK - Hardrock Hell Festival
5 - London, UK - The HMV Forum *
6 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Effenaar *
8 - Lund, Sweden - Mejeriet **
9 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller **
10 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Lisebergshallen **
11 - Stockholm, Sweden - Arenan **
13 - Tallinn, Estonia - Rock Cafe
14 - Tampere, Finland - Pakkahuone **
15 - Helsinki, Finland - House Of Culture **
17 - Warsaw, Poland - Stodola **
18 - Cracow, Poland - Studio **
19 - Prague, Czech Republic - Mala Sportovni Hala (with CITRON)

January

11 - Paris, France - Elysee Montmatre *
12 - Lyon, France - Le Transbordeur *
14 - Bilbao, Spain - Rockstar Live *
15 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera *
16 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz I *
18 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz *
19 - Rome, Italy - Altantico *
21 - Athens, Greece - Fuzz Live Music Club **
22 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Principal Club Theatre **
23 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Hristo Botev Hall **
24 - Sofia Bulgaria - Hristo Botev Hall **
26 - Zagreb, Hungary - Boogaloo Club **
27 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Kino Siska Club **
28 - Hlohovec, Slovakia - Sports Hall **
29 - Presov, Slovakia - Sports Hall **
31 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7 ***

February

1 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage ***
2 - Bonn, Germany - Brückenforum ***
4 - Hannover, Germany - Capitol ***
5 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle ***
6 - Osnabrück, Germany - Halle Gartlage ***
9 - Hamburg, Germany - Docks ***
10 - Bamberg, Germany - Jako Arena ***
11 - Kaufbeuren, Germany - All Karthalle ***
12 - Balingen, Germany - Volksbankmesse ***

* with TRICK OR TREAT

** with AVATAR

*** with PINK CREAM 69