The album titled “Rise Above” will be released by Sanctuary Records on October 8th. Proceeds from album sales will go towards the legal defense of the West Memphis Three. Three young metal fans who were convicted of murdering three boys in the Robin Hood hills area of West Memphis, Arkansas. The case gained international attention when HBO aired a documentary of the trial. Many felt that the three suspects, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin, were set-up because their love of heavy metal and black clothing they wore didn’t sit well with locals. Henry Rollins along with many who are familiar with the case believe that the West Memphis Three they were wrongly convicted of the murders by the prosecutions use of flimsy circumstantial evidence and the real killer still walks as a free man. 

Here is a statement that was issued by Henry Rollins about his efforts to help the West Memphis Three legal defense followed by the album details. 

“After watching the two documentaries, (Paradise Lost and Revelations: Paradise Lost 2) which detail what happened to the victims (both dead and alive) my reaction was a mixture of  sadness and anger:”

“Sadness at the death of the little boys and the unimaginable sense of hopelessness, heartbreak and frustration that fills their relatives on a regular basis. Then anger at what appears to be a made-for-television worst case scenario breakdown in the American justice system.

“What the West Memphis Three have been put through, and are going through, is an American nightmare of the highest order.

“ I wanted to get involved. 

“If this kind of insanity is allowed to happen in America, then no American is really safe. To do nothing is to submit to this horrific slander of truth and basically join in with the perpetrators. 

“ It's simple for me. I don't know who killed those three little boys. I just know it's not the West Memphis Three. So, what can I do? Raise some money and hopefully some awareness. I don't  know what else I can do, if someone has an idea, let me know. 

“Damien Echols faces lethal injection for a crime he didn't commit. Jason and Jesse face life in prison. It might as well be you or me. After the benefit on March 8th, I will get in my car and drive to my house. That, in itself, is kind of obscene seeing what these three are dealing with.

“I am in awe of the people who have worked so hard on the behalf of the West Memphis Three; that someone saw something they knew was wrong and stood up and went to work. How can I merely wave from the sidelines?

 “I can't.  --Henry Rollins”

Rise Above West Memphis Three track listing: 
 

• 1. "Rise Above," Chuck D, Henry Rollins
• 2. "Nervous Breakdown," Keith Morris
• 3. "Fix Me," Iggy Pop
• 4. "American Waste," Neil Fallon (Clutch) 
• 5. "I've Had It," Cedric Bixler Zavala (Mars Volta) 
• 6. "I've Heard It Before," Jeff Moreira (Poison the Well) 
• 7. "Room 13," Corey Taylor (Slipknot) 
• 8. "Wasted," Exene Cervenka
• 9. "Jealous Again," Nick Oliveri (Queens of the Stone Age) 
• 10. "TV Party," Henry Rollins
• 11. "No Values," Hank Williams, III
• 12. "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie," Dean Ween (Ween) 
• 13. "Depression," Casey Chaos (Amen) 
• 14. "Six Pack," Mike Patton
• 15. "Police Story," Ice-T
• 16. "Revenge," Tom Araya (Slayer) 
• 17. "Thirsty & Miserable," Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead) 
• 18. "What I See," Chuck Dukowski
• 19. "No More," Tim Armstrong, Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) 
• 20. "Black Coffee," Henry Rollins
• 21. "Slip It In," Henry Rollins, Inger Lorre 
• 22. "Annihilate This Week," Henry Rollins, Kira Roessler
• 23. "My War," Henry Rollins
• 24. (Bonus Track) "Nervous Breakdown," Ryan Adams (live at the Fillmore)

For detailed information on The West Memphis Three, the case and their legal defense efforts visit WM3.org
 

more on Henry Rollins and The West Memphis Three

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